A Spider in the Tower
by Starskulls
Summary: Peter manages to finally meet the Avengers but they aren't too pleased with him fighting battles and bad guys. He also has managed to put positivity into Tony's life. However, when things take a dark turn in Peter's life, Tony will have to step up to be the mentor that Peter needs. IRONDAD AND SPIDERSON. (Warning: Depression and Anxiety)
1. Chapter 1: Meet Spider Kid

**Hey everyone! So yeah, I feel like I owe you guys an explanation. So as some of you many have noticed, Watching Spider-Man Homecoming, my story, has been deleted. Yes, I deleted it. I had to because copyright issues were starting to stress me out so much and due to the popularity of the story, it caused me to worry more. I want to assure you guys that I did not delete it because I was bored with it, I didn't want it or couldn't write it anymore. It was not down to rude reviewers or anything like that. It was purely because of my worry for the copyright issues. I want to apologise to all of you, I really enjoyed writing it, I really did. I hope you all understand.**

 **So this is a story with Peter meeting the Avengers and involving IronDad and SpiderSon. I am excited to write this since IronDad and SpiderSon is amazing! And did you guys see the new Homecoming trailer! It's awesome!**

 **Alright so I hope you guys enjoy, and again, I hope you understand why I had to delete Watching Spider-Man Homecoming!**

* * *

Tony was currently in his lab, tinkering with a new piece of technology he was working on. He was more in deep thought than working really. He was thinking about his intern, Peter, better known as Spider-Man. Peter had never been to the tower before but he had already had disapproving comments from practically everyone. Fury and Coulson had talked to Peter to get some information on his abilities and had allowed him to continue his street patrols and fighting any villains. Peter had been adamant that he would have continued to fight without permission; something which made Tony smile, but it was that attitude that made Fury and Coulson quite impressed. Currently, Steve, Banner, Bucky, Clint and Natasha were in the tower and Tony had practically ran to his lab to avoid the comments. He had defended himself so many times with giving Peter a suit, but they didn't listen.

" _Sir, Peter Parker is on the line,"_ Friday said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Put him through," Tony said as he sat up slightly.

 _"Hey Mr Stark,"_ Peter said brightly.

"What's up kid," Tony asked.

 _"I-I uh have a question about these web grenades?_ " Peter asked.

"Web grenades? What's the matter with it?" Tony asked in concern.

" _Well when I throw it, it doesn't explode properly. I tried to throw it at this group of bad guys and it kinda…blew up in my face,"_ Peter said in embarrassment. Tony sniggered at this; he could practically feel Peter's embarrassment coming through the line.

"Alright, I'll come around in the evening and take a look. Will May be out?" Tony asked.

" _No, she'll be at home trying this new meatloaf recipe…"_ Peter started but then the doors of the labs opened, and Banner walked in.

"Hey Tony, do you know where the…" Banner started.

" _Oh, wow is that the Hulk?"_ Peter asked in shock, recognising the voice.

"Who is that?" Banner asked in surprise.

"Do you mind? I'm on the phone to Spider-Man here," Tony said, concerned about the identity of Peter. While they knew he was a kid, he didn't want them visiting him and telling him to quit.

"That's Spider-Man?" Banner asked. He sounded so young!

" _It's an honour to meet you! Well not actually meet but-yeah um…"_ Peter said, starting to get flustered at how fast he was talking as well as getting nervous. It was the Hulk for crying out loud.

"So why are you calling Tony?" Banner asked, now directing his attention to Peter.

" _Oh um…my web grenades are broken. I tried to fix them, but it didn't work so I was hoping Mr Stark could help,"_ Peter said shyly. Banner nodded at this but then a thought came to his head.

"Say Spider-Man, why don't you come to the tower? I could help you with it, seeing as Tony is quite busy," Banner said, causing Tony to look at him with wide eyes and a gasp to come from Peter.

" _Really? Are you serious_?" Peter said, trying to hide his excitement.

"Uh Bruce…" Tony started but Banner interrupted him.

"Can you come this evening? Say after school?" Banner asked, and Tony turned his head to the scientist in alarm.

" _Are you serious?"_ Peter asked, his excitement coming through.

"Wait a min-" Tony started but Banner interrupted.

"Great, see you soon!" Banner said cheerfully as the called ended. Tony then turned to him with a frown on his face.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Tony asked, and Banner looked at him innocently.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know damn well what, why did you invite the kid?" Tony asked.

"I want to meet him. Come on Tony, you can't keep him to yourself," Banner said.

"Why not?" Tony said, almost with a pout.

He surprised himself with that thought. Sure, Peter was his intern, but he often talked with Peter about his day to day life or when he was feeling down after a hard day at school. What's more, he was worried about how everyone else would react. He didn't want them pressuring Peter.

"Look Tony, I am not happy that he's young and fighting. I think it's irresponsible. But he does seem like a nice kid. Maybe if everyone, including myself, got to see what you do in him, then the heat will go down," Banner said, and Tony considered this.

"Yeah alright," Tony said with a shrug.

"So, what exactly do he do besides Spider-Man anyway?" Banner asked. Tony scoffed at this and put down his gadgets.

"No, you'll have to wait. All I can say that…he's a nerd too," Tony said with a smirk as he headed out of the lab with Banner trailing him excitedly, continuously asking more questions.

* * *

Clint was currently watching a film on the TV while eating popcorn on the couch while Steve was talking to Bucky in the kitchen. Natasha was on the couch with Clint but was reading a book instead. The whole top floor of the tower was essentially like a massive living room with an extended kitchen. It was like a place that teenagers dreamed about.

"Come on Tony, just tell me! Science or Maths?" Banner whined.

"Leave it alone Banner, he'll be here in a bit!" Tony said in annoyance as they both came into the room.

"Who's coming?" Clint asked, not turning his head from the TV. Tony practically halted in the middle of the room when he saw everyone there.

"Crap I forgot you guys were here," he cursed.

"Who's coming?" Clint asked again in annoyance. He didn't want anyone interrupting the film he was watching.

"Spider-Man is coming!" Banner said with a grin but then he remembered the one fact that bothered everyone. Spider-Man was a kid. The TV turned off at this point and all eyes were on the pair.

"Did you have to?" Tony said with gritted teeth. He did not need this right now!

"You invited him here?" Natasha said as she got up from the couch with a frown on her face. Steve had also started to approach. Even better. Not!

"Well I didn't," Tony said, giving Banner another glare, "He needs some help with his web slingers."

"Oh, you mean the slingers you gave to a kid?" Steve snapped.

"Now that we are on that subject, Tony, why the _hell_ did you involve a kid?" Clint said, his voice rising.

"Alright first off, this kid, is incredible. He has strength to stop a ton bus going at full speed towards a building, not to mention that he has powers beyond my understanding," Tony started but this comment caused an uproar.

"It doesn't matter about that, what matters is his age!" Natasha said in concern.

"Tony, this is exactly why…" Steve started but Tony got right up in his face at this point.

"Don't start on me, I wasn't the one protecting a murderer," he snarled, earning a shove from Steve.

"Alright break it up! We have been over this!" Banner said firmly. True to his word, there had been a lengthy discussion in the group where Tony and Bucky had come to an agreed truce. While Tony didn't necessarily like him, Steve often invited him round the tower since he wanted the two to get along better. That wasn't going to well at this point.

"It's alright," Bucky said quietly. He had been pretty upset when he found out about Spider-Man's age, especially since he and Sam had given him a pretty good beating. He could have this chance to apologise but he didn't want piss off Tony since he was the intern to him.

"I gotta say…I initially thought he was your kid when I heard about him. You know, like you hid him away for years and now he's out in public," Banner said as he folded his arms. This caused eyebrows to go up.

"He's a person, not an ancient antique," Tony said with a frown.

"Iron Man? A dad?" That's hard to see," Clint commented.

"Says the man with armed arrows that could bring down a building," Tony shot back.

"Tony, I swear, if you endanger him…" Steve started again.

"Easy fellas," Bruce said coming between them.

" _Sir, there's a Peter Parker at reception,"_ Friday said, then interrupting the conversation, causing a tense silence.

"Is that him?" Banner asked with a smile.

"Yes. Alright Friday, send him up!" Tony said loudly.

" _Right away,"_ Friday answered.

"Alright now I don't want any of you pressuring him, especially you!" Tony said as he pointed a finger at Steve.

"Me?" Steve said in annoyance.

"Yeah, you and your lecturing," Tony said.

"I don't lecture people," Steve said and a few scoffs came from the group at this.

"You always lecture TV adverts when they use fast cars," Clint added in.

"And food adverts," Natasha said.

"Alright," Steve said, and he almost pouted as Bucky started to laugh at him.

"You were frozen for how long? You may not have aged physically but mentally…" Bucky commented.

"Nice," Clint said with a smirk.

It was at that moment that they all heard an elevator ping and a door slowly opened. All of their heads turned towards the door. A boy around an average height with brown hair and a skinny frame came through. He was clutching a side back pack nervously and he wore a loose t-shirt with jeans, sneakers and a dark green jacket.

"Hey uh…Mr Stark," Peter said nervously. He certainly hadn't been expecting the Avengers that's for sure.

* * *

 **So yeah! He's meeting them! I hope you guys enjoyed! Please review and see you soon!**

 **-Star**


	2. Chapter 2: Excuse me?

**Hey guys! I know it has been a while and my brain has been under a lot of stress lately.**

 **Now, to the people who have messaged and reviewed, Watching Spider-man Homecoming has been deleted. I am sorry but it will not be reposted due copyright. I was not forced to take it down, I did that of my own choice since it has been pointed out to me by some of my peers about copyright. It stressed me out too much and I really loved writing it, honestly. I am trying to write you all a new fic about Peter and the Avengers, so I want nothing more than constructive criticism for my work and and how people enjoyed it, not insults or anything like that. FanFiction is a place to enjoy reading. Remember that.** **Alright? Be cheerful people!**

 **Here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Peter's heart was practically bouncing out of his chest at this point. He couldn't believe that the Avengers were standing in front of him. Like right in front of him. He was fighting so hard no to fanboy right now. Ned would be so jealous too.

"Hey kid," Tony said as he came over to him. He could tell that Peter was over whelmed by the presence of everyone, which is natural seeing as who the people in the room were. He came and patted Peter on the back; he nearly fell over which brought his senses back.

"Hey Mr Stark…uh…hey everyone. I'm S-Spiderman," he said, trying to sound casual but ended up like a stuttering wreck.

"Hey Spider-Man. Is there an actual name we can call you?" Clint asked with a small smirk.

"Oh right…uh…my name is Peter. Peter Parker," Peter said, with a little more confidence.

"Nice to meet you Peter. I'm Bruce Banner," Bruce said as he came over and held out a hand to Peter, who shook it with a small smile.

"It's an honour to meet you Mr Banner, I'm a fan of your work," Peter said with a shy smile.

"You're a fan of my work?" Bruce asked, with a slight twinge of surprise in his voice. Usually when he met people, they always wanted to ask about how strong the Hulk was and how he smashed things. People never took an interest in the other half of the Hulk. Banner himself.

"You _understand_ his work?" Clint asked and was elbowed by Natasha. It wasn't nice to make fun of someone's intelligence. Needless to see that they were both surprised at Peter's response.

"Oh absolutely! His paper on Gamma Asterophysics is amazing! His proposition that the balance between the gain in energy from acceleration by the shock and loss of energy due to synchrotron radiation dictates the maximum energy of the photons that can be emitted by such a system is really a game changer in astrophysics," Peter said with stars practically bouncing in his eyes.

"Oh man. There's three of them now," Bucky whispered jokingly to Steve who was practically amazed at this young kid's mind. Tony was practically beaming at the expressions on everyone's faces. Natasha noted that Tony almost looked like a proud parent.

"Oh sorry, I'm rambling a little bit," Peter said as he noticed all the shocked faces.

"No, not at all! It's just that we don't come across such youngsters with brains like yours," Bruce said with a smile.

"Thanks," Peter said with a small grin.

"We also don't come across youngsters with high tech suits," Steve said loudly, causing Tony to glare at him. Peter didn't seem to understand the tension here.

"Oh yeah, I love my suit Mr Stark made, it really beats my old one," Peter said as he went into his satchel to look for his slingers. Steve's eyes widened at this as did everyone else's.

"Wait your old suit? Tony has made you more than one?" Natasha asked as she folded her arms. Peter continued to rummage through his bag, not looking up.

"Oh yeah, I mean I had to make my own suit since I didn't know Mr Stark back then. It's a little embarrassing really, it looked like a onesie, but the goggles and slingers were cool," Peter said as he pulled out one of said slingers, which looked a little tattered.

"Wait, I'm confused, so he didn't give you slingers to start with?" Bucky asked.

"No, I did not like I said, is your head made of metal too?" Tony snapped, making Bucky frown slightly.

"May I see?" Banner asked, and Peter nodded slightly as he handed him the slinger.

"Interesting. So, you originally built this and Tony amped it up?" Banner asked as he held it up to examine it more.

"Pretty much," Peter said, a blush on his cheeks as he saw everyone's bewildered, yet impressed expressions. Banner then touched a certain part and a small vile fell out, which Tony quickly caught.

"Easy with that," Tony said as he dusted the vile off.

"What's that? Did Tony give you that too?" Steve asked as he folded his arms. Tony was twitching at this point; did they honestly think he was that bad? Scratch that, he knew the answer already.

"Oh no, I made that too. It's just a little web fluid I designed in science," Peter said with a shrug. Steve blinked at this, hardly believing it. Natasha and Clint exchanged looks while Bucky was strangely trying not to grin. Tony was looking smug as hell.

"In…science class?" Banner asked in shock.

"Yeah, I'm working on some new fluids that can have a stronger thread and density," Peter answered.

"Damn," Clint muttered.

"Alright Parker, why don't you head to the lab and I'll meet you there in a sec!" tony said as he shoved the vile in Peter's hands and gave him a push towards the corridor and more specifically, away from everyone.

"Oh, okay sure Mr Stark. It was nice to meet you guys!" Peter said as he then disappeared down the corridor, which Tony then slammed the door in order for the argument he was sure that was about to explode. Banner was still in shock at how smart the kid was.

"Wait Tony…are you sure you didn't make that yourself?" Banner asked in shock.

"No like the kid said, he gave me the formula to add into his suit. I just applied it to things besides shooting," Tony answered, the proud feeling coming over him again.

"He's fifteen! How did he come up with that?" Banner said, starting to get excited at the prospect of a young Avenger interested in science coming onto the team. Well, not on the team but maybe he could visit now and then.

"Knowledge doesn't make up for a lack of experience," Steve said.

"Alright Grandpa no one asked you," Tony snapped.

"Can anyone in this room say that they aren't impressed?" Banner asked loudly, causing the bickering to go down.

"I like him," Clint said with a smirk.

"I do too," Natasha agreed, which surprised everyone, especially Tony.

"Seriously?" Steve asked in annoyance.

"Oh, come on Steve, you can't say you hate the kid just because Tony gave him a suit," Natasha defended.

"He shouldn't even be around us, he's fifteen," Steve argued.

"Steve, I know he's only kid but let's face it, he's not an ordinary kid. Suit or not, he has abilities like you, maybe even stronger," Bucky pointed out, shocking his friend.

"I would like to point out, incredibly stronger," Tony said with a grin.

"You know what? I like him too. He didn't even beg for pictures or autographs like most kids do. He respects us," Banner said.

"Plus, he's a nerd," Tony pointed out.

"That too," Banner agreed.

"When does the kid need to be home by?" Clint asked suddenly.

"I don't know, whenever his aunt wants him to be home. Why?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I want to get to know him better," Clint said with a shrug.

"Me too," Natasha and Banner agreed.

"And me," Bucky chimed in much to the annoyance of Steve.

Tony frowned. He didn't like the idea of Bucky around Peter but having the others getting to know him may help…he just had to make sure his identity wasn't compromised. Then again, he was on the 'Internship' which was known to his school. He knew that people in the school didn't believe Peter; he was well aware of this but if the others got involved, it might actually give Peter some confidence to stand up for himself.

"Alright, I'll ask him to stay," Tony said, "Any objections?"

"I…" Steve started.

"No one? Great, I'll let the kid know," Tony said loudly as he went off, with all but one of the Avengers smiling.

* * *

 **So there we have it! Yeah I know Captain is a bit mean but I'm using the same approach as I did in Homecoming, he gets there in the end! Let me know what you guys think in the reviews and remember, no more insults. I enjoy writing for you guys, so keep that in mind. Cupcakes to all and I'll see you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: Thunder is Coming!

**Hey everyone, been a while. First of all ENDGAME WAS AMAZING! I WAS IN TEARS OF HAPPINESS AND SADNESS! I WILL NOT SPOIL ANYTHING SO THAT IS ALL I WILL SAY. Now to business. I am having fun with this chapter, and thank you to those who are offering and giving happy comments and critics. To those who are still being rude, I am sorry you feel that way. I am not going to repeat myself. Any hate/rude comments will be deleted. Thank you. Now please enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Peter could hardly believe his luck. Not only was he having Tony helping him with his slingers but the whole Avengers team was in the same building as him! This was amazing! No! He couldn't fanboy now, that would be weird. Plus he saw how the media and other fans treated them. He wanted to respect their boundaries.

"Alright kid, what's the problem?" Tony asked as he came into the room. Peter placed the slinger on the table and gave an awkward look.

"It's just glitched and over heated. I was fighting these guys and it got a little crazy," Peter said and Tony's ears pricked up.

"Crazy? Fight? What happened?" Tony asked, completely forgetting about the slinger.

"It's fine Mr Stark, it was nothing I couldn't handle," Peter insisted but Tony glared at him.

"What. Happened?" he asked sternly. Peter shifted on his feet slightly.

"It was the other day. These three guys were robbing an old lady. One had a knife and another had a gun," Peter started and Tony lost it.

"A gun?! What happened to sticking with churro's and bike thief's?" Tony yelled.

"What's this about churro's?" Clint asked suddenly as he came into the lab. He was curious about the kid and he wanted to know more. Him seeing Tony act like a parent was something that no one had ever seen before and he wanted to see more of it. It was also a plus to wind Tony up.

"Not now Barton," Tony snapped, not even giving him a look.

"Hey Mr Barton," Peter said but Tony pulled him back into the conversation.

"Hey, don't try and get out of this. Back to the guns," Tony said. Now Clint was really interested. Not to mention alarmed.

"Guns? You okay Pete?" Clint asked; all thoughts of teasing aside and being replaced with concern.

"It was fine! I got the gun out the way and knocked the guy out. The guy with the knife grazed me a bit so I had to fire rapid webs out and it fried the slinger," Peter said, trying his best not to shiver at the hero's gazes. They were concerned gazes but it still didn't help the massive weight that was being put on him by them.

"I'm sorry, a knife grazed you?! Where? Let me see!" Tony demanded.

"It's just on my side. I have advanced healing, there's only a little scar there now," Peter said with his hands raised. Clint stepped forward.

"Come on kid, let's see it," he said with surprising concern in his voice. Even Peter saw it but it wasn't even angry concern. It was parental concern. He did remember that Clint had kids of his own. Maybe that's it.

"Okay," Peter sighed as he lifted up the side of his shirt slightly.

Both men looked to see the scar and sure enough a long but pale scar was there. Tony ran his finger across the scar to examine it. While it was thin, he could tell it had been a deep scar. Clint frowned.

"Where are those guys now?" Clint asked. He practically heard his bow calling him from his room in the tower.

"They're in jail. The police are cooperating a lot better with me now," Peter said. Tony looked relived at this but he still wasn't happy about the scar.

"I'm getting you checked over later," Tony said although it was practically an order.

Peter nodded, knowing there was no arguing at this point. Tony then looked over at the slinger on the table and stepped over to it and started to tinker with it. Peter was about to join him until Clint asked him another question.

"What did you mean by the police cooperating with you?" Clint asked.

"Well as I was starting out, the police thought I was a villain and even though I was getting the bad guys, the wanted to arrest me," Peter explained and Clint twitched slightly.

"Didn't you try to tell them?" Clint asked.

"Well yes but I was wearing a onesie and could stop buses with my bare hands. I can't really blame them," Peter responded and Tony shook his head. The kid was too modest.

"God the force don't listen to anyone that tries to help. When all is said and done, they end up calling the people they chase for help," Clint said with the shake of his head.

"Well as long as I can help people, I don't mind it," Peter said with a shrug. Clint was very impressed at this point. Not only did he seem like a nice kid but he put others before himself.

"Say kid, do you have to go home tonight?" Clint asked, making Peter look at him in surprise and for Tony to look up from his desk.

"What?" they asked in sync.

"Well I think that we should all get to know you more, seeing as you're the newest addition; Avenger or not," Clint said and Peter's face lit up.

"Really?" Peter asked.

"Whoa there Barton," Tony started.

"Does he have a room here?" Clint asked and Peter's eyes were blazing with excitement.

"No…" Tony started.

"Well we'd best get one ready for him, seeing as he's going to come here a lot more now! I'm sure your Aunt won't mind," Clint said.

"Really? Is that okay with you Mr Stark?" Peter asked as he turned to him.

Tony was secretly thrilled on the inside but the first thought that went to his head was his well being. Being in the spotlight with the Avengers would raise question about the web slinger. Not to mention that Steve wouldn't be open to the idea and he didn't like the idea of Bucky being around him either. But having the kid around more would be great.

"Sure. Why don't you go round the back and find a guest room. You can make it yours," Tony said with a smile.

"Really? Thanks Mr Stark and you too Mr B- I mean Clint!" Peter said as he practically bounced out of the room.

"What the hell Barton," Tony said, taking a step forward to the archer.

"What?" Clint asked. "Thought you'd be thrilled."

"I am! It's just…everyone…!" he started.

"Look, I'll be honest. I'm not thrilled about him fighting, it just makes me think about my own kids. But he has powers. If he's out there fighting crime by himself, don't you think it's a good idea for him to have other people to contact him if he needs help?" Clint asked.

"I will ALWAYS be there to help him," Tony said forcefully. The idea of someone hurting Peter made him sick.

"I know that. Say if you're on a conference and one of us is closer," Clint pointed out.

"Alright, I guess you have a point," Tony said.

"Besides, I know that this is pissing off Steve," Clint added and Tony smirked.

"It is, isn't it," Tony said and then men both laughed.

After picking out his room, Peter was on the phone to May explained Clint's proposition. Tony had fixed the slinger and was now in the main room with the others. He was slightly annoyed that none of them had left; assumably they wanted to know more about Peter. Steve was still giving his old man opinions; muttering about how he was too young. Tony was starting to think that he was jealous.

"So Peter is staying for the night?" Banner asked. He was still blown away by Peter's knowledge on his theories on gamma.

"Yeah," Clint said proudly.

"I think it's a great idea," Natasha said.

"Why do you say that?" Steve asked. He thought of all people, she would be agreeing with him.

"Well, clearly he's gifted and strong, plus he helps people. Who wouldn't want to know him?" Natasha said.

"A seventy year old as-" Tony sneered but was interrupted by Banner.

"Tony," Banner warned.

"Well May said I could stay as long as I get to school on time tomorrow," Peter said brightly.

"So we can't have a movie marathon?" Clint asked.

"What are you five?" Natasha smirked.

"If there's a movie marathon, I go all the way. Me and my friend Ned watched a Lord of the Rings marathon all weekend and then we had a Star Wars marathon," Peter said and then blushed as this didn't help his nerd image.

"Yup, there's the Spider-Nerd," Tony said as he patted Peter on the back. Bucky smiled slightly. He hadn't known Tony for that long but he saw from television that the media often portrayed him negatively as well as Steve telling him a lot of things since he met Tony himself. But the way he smiled and laughed with Peter. It definitely resembled a father and son relationship.

"Well I don't know if this is just me, but I'm interested to see how you fight," Natasha said suddenly.

"Whoa now, I don't want you breaking his neck," Tony said instantly.

"Relax, she's not going to kill your kid," Clint said, Tony then giving him a glare.

"Clint told us about the thugs. Maybe if we see you fight one of us, we can help you improve," Natasha suggested.

"I like that idea," Peter admitted, much to Tony's annoyance. There were many things that happened to him on patrols that he didn't mention to Tony, mainly because he knew how he'd react. He didn't want to burden Tony. Maybe if he learned how to fight better, then he could lift that burden.

"That sounds like a good idea. I could help," Bucky offered.

"We want him to fight, not to murder," Tony snapped.

"Enough. I don't think it's a good idea. He wouldn't last five minutes," Steve countered.

"Hey, I seem to remember him stealing your shield," Tony sneered. Clint smirked and stifled a laugh. Peter gave an awkward chuckle at that.

"That doesn't count," Steve argued.

"Oh please, it counted," Banner said with a smile. He wasn't there but after watching the footage, it was clear enough.

"Spider-Man verus Captain America. If it wasn't for your shield, he would have kicked your American Ass," Tony commented. Everyone burst out laughing at this while Steve spluttered in annoyance.

"What is this I hear about the Man of Spiders?" A new voice boomed.

* * *

 **Ooh this is getting interesting. This is how I see Steve initially reacting, but there will be development later on. I am so excited to write this, I hope you will enjoy it. Cupcakes to all who review and see you soon!**

 **Bye for now!**

 **-Star**


	4. Chapter 4: Finding Nemo

**Hey everyone. Sorry about the lack of updates on here. I am not dropping this story, I've been working on another story with someone. Also my brain has been going all over the place as of late. I do not know why. It's weird but I will try and not let it get in the way of this. Please enjoy.**

* * *

Peter had fought a lot of bad guys as Spider-Man. Every time he put away thugs, murders and all of the worst kinds of people that existed in the world, it made him happy. He felt this way since it made the streets safer and people could relax when they go out. Once he met Tony Stark and had gotten the new suit, he was able to put even more bad guys away. He thought nothing could get better than that. However, meeting the other main Avengers? Awesome fanboy moment. But now, in this very room, was a literal freaking God! Not just any God. THOR! Peter had to remember how to breathe.

"Oh, hey Blondie," Tony said carelessly. Thor waved with a smile.

"Hello, Man of Iron! Is this the young spider-ling I have heard so much about?" Thor asked as he approached everyone. Peter nearly fainted. Thor knew who he was?!

"Yup. We just met him too. Care to introduce yourself kid?" Clint said, giving Peter a nudge forward. He could tell Peter was nervous.

"I'm P-Peter. Peter Parker," Peter said, and he could have smacked himself. He stuttered. In front of Thor! Great impression!

"Good to me you Peter Parker, I'm Thor, Son of Odin," Thor said as he held out a hand. Peter shook it and thankfully, due to his spider strength, his bones weren't crushed in the God's grip.

"What brings you here Thor?" Steve asked curiously.

"It's gets boring on Asgard sometimes. Earth offers wonderful entertainment," Thor answered.

"Well, we were talking about a movie marathon if you want to join us," Peter said shyly.

Tony tried to object to this. As much as he wanted to have Peter around, he didn't want him feeling pressured by the Avengers. While Banner, Clint and Natasha were coming around, he certainly didn't want Bucky around Peter, and Steve wasn't being any help with his old man policy.

"A movie marathon! I'm in!" Thor declared loudly, making thunder clap outside. Most people jumped at this.

"Watch it Tinker Bell!" Tony said as he calmed himself down.

"Awesome," Peter said in awe.

"So, what do we fancy? How about a good horror gore fest?" Clint said cheerfully, earning him alarmed looks from the others.

"How about…no?" Natasha said and Clint folded his arms. He never got to pick his favourite films!

"Romance films are always nice," Bucky suggested, and Tony rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Romance? God you're boring," he said.

"Tony, stop being so rude," Steve said with a frown.

"My house, my rules," Tony shot back.

God, even Steve made him mad. He still wasn't used to Steve being back here since the Accords were re-written and it did not help his anxiety levels when Bucky was brought here too. His panic attacks had increased slightly but of course he hid from everyone, especially Pepper. She would flip out and worry so much. He couldn't do that to her.

"You okay Mr Stark?" Peter asked as he was snapped out of his thoughts. Tony looked at Peter, his face laced with concern. Oddly enough, the kid made him a feel a lot calmer.

"Yeah I'm good kid," Tony reassured him. Clint then cleared his throat, not liking the awkward tension. Granted he didn't mind a bit drama but this…this was just awkward by anyone's standards.

"So…should we have takeout too?" Clint asked.

* * *

After spending another hour arguing about what to watch and what to order for food, they eventually settled on _Finding Nemo_ and pizza. Thor practically ordered a dozen pizzas for himself, threatening Clint with Mjölnir when he tried to steal a slice. There was a variety of pizzas, plain, ham, peppers, chicken and to Peter's disgust; mushrooms. There were crowded on the couch and on extra bean bags. Peter was next to Tony, while Bucky and Steve were on the far end of the couch. The other avengers were scattered here and there.

"it would be really cool if there was a ride like that," Peter said as he watched Marlin and Dory jump on jellyfish.

"You're Spider-Man; you practically jump off buildings like a monkey," Tony said in amusement.

"Hey, the buildings aren't soft like that," Peter protested.

"Please, jellyfish sting like crazy, you'd cry like a baby," Clint commented with a smirk, earning a pizza slice to the face. Tony and a few others stared at Peter in surprise, who shrunk in his seat.

"I-I'm sorry I uh…" Peter stuttered. He just threw a pizza slice at Hawkeye!

"Nice shot Peter," Natasha said, and she tried to contain a laugh. Tony and Thor didn't even try not to laugh.

"Excellent Man of Spiders! I will try!" Thor said as he threw his pizza slice at Clint. It hit him in the chest this time and it left a trail of cheese on his vest as it dripped down.

"Hey knock it off!" Clint protested.

"Yes, this is very chil-" Steve started until a pizza slice found itself plastered to his face. He pulled it off his face in annoyance and looked for the culprit. His eyes narrowed at Tony, who was whistling innocently. Peter hid his laughter unsuccessfully.

"Nice," Clint said, his smirk now reappearing as he wiped the cheese off him.

"Thank you," Tony said with a small smirk. Steve heard this and frowned.

"Are you that childish?" Steve said sharply.

"Yes Rogers, do you always have to be such a kiss ass?" Tony responded. Peter shifted awkwardly. He didn't mean to start to a fight between them. Bucky noticed this.

"Can we get back to the film? I want to see what happens next," he said cheerfully. Steve still had his frown on his face as he turned back to the screen. Tony rolled his eyes and looked at the screen too. Peter looked at Bucky with a grateful smile and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. Bucky nodded with a smile in welcome.

The end credits finally rolled, and Tony let out a loud yawn. It was fairly late now since they had started the film later than they should have. He turned to see Peter leaning on his shoulder and he didn't know whether to wake him or not. Thankfully he didn't have to. Thor let out a loud bellow of a yawn, waking everyone up, much to their annoyance. Peter had then realised where his head was and he quickly moved it.

"Dude, don't yawn like hat, my ear drums can't take it!" Clint whined as he rubbed the side of his face, where a piece of cheese still rested.

"It's late, I think I'm gonna call it," Bruce said as he got up and stretched.

He waved everyone goodnight and headed to his room. Bucky quickly followed suite as did Clint, not before saying goodnight to Peter. Steve still had a disapproving look on his face when he looked at Peter and headed off to his room.

"I don't think he likes me that much. Is it cause' I stole his shield?" Peter asked in worry.

"No kid, he's just a stick shoved really far up his-" Tony started but was then elbowed in the ribs by Natasha.

"He'll come around," Natasha assured him. Thor patted his stomach and then came over and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"This was a fun evening. We must do this again; young Man od Spiders!" Thor declared, making Peter's expression brighten up.

"T-Thanks Mr Thor sir!" Peter said.

"Just Thor will do. Goodnight everyone!" Thor said as he then headed out onto the balcony, where he then was blasted up in a golden beam. Peter let out a yawn and Tony placed a hand on his head and moved him from side to side.

"Come on kid, go to bed," Tony said.

"Okay Mr Stark. If I don't see you tomorrow, it means I've left for school," Peter said with a tired smile. Tony frowned.

"You'll meet us for breakfast first, then go to school," Tony said in concern. From the way that was worded, it sounded like Peter didn't even have breakfast and just went to school. Was he being crazy? He hoped not.

"But-" Peter started but Natasha cut in.

"No buts Peter. Now go to bed," she said sternly. Now Peter sometimes answered back but he knew that if he wanted to keep his neck in one piece, he would agree. Even Tony sent him a look that said, 'Agree or she'll rip your head off.'

"Okay Miss Romanoff," Peter said as he then headed off to his room. Natasha looked at Tony with a smile.

"What?" Tony asked.

"He's a good kid Tony. Don't lose him," Natasha said and before Tony could question what she said, she had headed off to her room. Tony paused for a moment.

Lose him? That idea really made him feel uneasy. But his suit had all the protective protocols that he could have applied to it. He made sure of it. He would never allow him to patrol without it. When he had seen the original suit, he wondered how much damage he took Peter took, despite his spider healing and abilities. He shook that horrid thought from his head as he headed off to his own room. Pepper was on a business trip in Tokyo right now, so if he did have any panic attack of sorts…at least she wouldn't see it. A few minutes went by until a golden light appeared, and Thor re-entered the building.

"Where did I leave that blasted hammer?" Thor said, having completely forgotten about it thanks to the 'Just Keep Swimming' song now stuck in his head.

"Thor?" a tired voice called.

Thor turned to see Peter and his eyes widened and his jaw almost dropped. Peter came towards him, wearing a spare white baggy t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was all messy and he looked a little flustered.

"Sorry, I kinda tripped over it in the hall. I guess you left it here when you chased Clint around yelling, 'fish are friends, not food', for an hour," Peter said as he handed over Mjölnir from his hand.

"Ugh…" Thor said in astonishment.

"Okay well…goodnight Thor," Peter said as he turned around and headed to his room, leaving the God of Thunder standing there in a state of shock.

* * *

 **Yup, I did that. I think he's worthy. Feel free to judge. But nicely. Please review, here are your cupcakes and have a nice day!**

 **\- Star**


	5. Chapter 5: Crappity crap

**Aloha everyone! Glad to see everyone is enjoying this! Please leave any feedback (no hate) for this as i am always looking to improve my work! Here are your cupcakes and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It was near eight in the morning when Peter arose from bed. His head was slightly sore for going to bed so late, but he figured that some pain killers would fix that. Then again, if Flash had anything to do with it, the headache would be back within an hour. As Tony had been helping him with modifications lately and had also been giving him mini assignments from his lab, Peter was getting more involved with Stark Industries itself. Not that he had to defend himself to Flash, it was coming to the point where he came home with a bruise in a new place every day. Ned had insisted that Peter should go all crazy on his ass, but Peter knew that one punch from him would end up with Flash in the emergency room with his bones splintered.

"Best get going," Peter said to himself. He had left his suit at home so he was eagerly to out his new modified slingers to his suit.

He figured that Tony and the others would still be asleep. Not that he would want to wake them or anything. He pulled on his clothes and slung his bag on his shoulder and headed out of his room. As he came near the end of the corridor, he attempted to be quiet but as he walked out, a voice almost made him jump onto the ceiling.

"Morning kid!" Tony called over. Peter's eyes widened slightly when he saw Tony and the rest of the Avengers sitting at the kitchen table feasting on a glorious breakfast. Eggs, toast, bacon, beans, sausages and beautiful golden pancakes were stacked high on plates. The smell in the air was wonderful. Peter wondered why he didn't smell that sooner.

"M-morning Mr Stark!" Peter said. He really needed to work on that stutter.

"Come sit with us kid!" Clint said as he took a swig of black coffee.

Peter was hesitant at first, but they were all giving him pretty welcoming looks. Well, aside from Steve who still had a stern look on his face. He shyly came forward and sat himself down between Tony and Natasha. Banner, who was the one responsible for cooking the food, put a plate full of food in front of Peter. His eyes were practically blazing with hunger. Darn metabolism, he thought. Not wanting to be rude nor greedy, he started to eat the food.

"This is so good, thank you Mr Banner!" Peter said with a big smile.

"You're welcome, and call me Bruce," Bruce said with a smile. Peter's face practically lit up at this and it made Tony smile. Natasha saw this and shot him a smug look, in which Tony shoved a wad of bacon in his mouth.

There was a pause.

"What do you have lined up today?" Bucky asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Mainly science classes today, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Along with some advanced Maths classes," Peter said. Bucky shook his head in amusement.

"Man, I couldn't even begin to comprehend classes at that level. You've got amazing brains Peter," Bucky said in admiration. Tony was surprised that comment but didn't express it. Steve however did.

"Advanced Maths? Aren't you a bit young for that?" Steve said. Tony almost bent his fork at that comment. Clint and Banner rolled his eyes him.

"Not really. It's quite easy," Peter said with a shrug, a little irritated by the comment but it was something that was commonly said.

"Are you sure?" Steve said. Now that was a jab.

"Do me a favour Rogers, get that fork and ram it up your-" Tony started but Banner cleared his throat and gave Tony a look.

Peter didn't look that fazed. He didn't know why Captain was acting like this, but he had had enough of this in school. He liked it here. He didn't want it to be ruined. Peter reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook from his class. It had some equations and test sheets inside. Tony gave them a glance and was pleased to see all the 100% marks on the paper. Peter handed them over to Steve, who took them and gave them a look. His eyes widened at the sight of the complicated equations. Banner gave them a quick glance too and smiled.

"Yeah, those look like advanced equations to me," Banner confirmed.

"I'm pretty sure Mr Rogers. Unless you'd like to check them?" Peter said with a small shrug.

Tony wanted to dance with glee at the expression on his face. Natasha tried not laugh as did Clint. Bucky didn't hesitate to let out a chuckle as Steve begrudgingly handed the papers back to Peter. He then glanced at his watch and his eyes widened.

"Aw man, I'm gonna be late! Thanks for breakfast Bruce," Peter said as he grabbed a piece of toast. Bruce gave him a small nod with a smile.

"You coming over again tonight, Pete?" Clint asked and Peter shook his head.

"Sorry, I've got a lot of homework to do. Plus, I have a big project to work on," Peter said, and Clint's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Tony then cut in.

"Why don't you bring your project by. We can have a look at together," Tony said, and Peter's face immediately brightened. Natasha and Clint shared a look and knew that they were thinking the same thing. Bruce gave a small chuckle from his seat too while Steve just pouted.

"That would be great Mr Stark! I'll text you!" Peter said as he then hurried out the door. There was another pause until Natasha spoke up.

"Best. Breakfast. Ever," she said as she spread butter on her toast.

"Yeah he really got you Cap. Do you have to be such a downer?" Clint asked. He would have used another word, but it was too early in the morning for that word.

"Firstly, he did not get me. Secondly, I just didn't think he was capable of equations of that level," Steve responded.

"He's a kid whole stole your shield, held up something that even you couldn't and can swing from buildings at incredible speeds," Bucky deadpanned.

"Amen," Clint said, earning an eye roll from Steve.

"Will you just let it go Rogers. He's here, he's staying, get used to it," Tony nearly yelled.

"Come on now guys, we don't want Irondad over here getting upset," Bruce said.

"Thank yo- wait what?" Tony spluttered. Irondad? What the hell was that? There was no way he was father material. Peter as his son? The idea was just weird? Could he see it? No, he wasn't responsible, nor could he replace Peter's own father. Granted he was no longer alive but replacing someone like that wasn't right, not to mention disrespectful.

"Makes sense doesn't it?" Bruce said with a smile.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but that is…genius," Natasha said in agreement.

"Alright I swear I will…" Tony started.

"You'll what IronDad?" Bucky joked and Clint had to hold back Tony while holding back his own laughter.

* * *

Peter had now arrived outside the school but then a thought struck him. Did he really just stand up to Captain America? Oh god did he actually insult him in front of the Avengers. Well, that's it, he was going to hell. Although it was nice to stand up to someone for a change. No! Not good! He was a hero and shouldn't be insulted like that.

"Yo Penis!" a voice yelled. Peter rolled his eyes. He hadn't even gotten into the freaking building yet! He didn't even bother to turn around as a hand was smacked across the back of his head. Yup, the headache was back.

"Morning Flash," Peter said almost tiredly.

"So, you finally going to admit that you're a liar and that your internship is nothing but a crock of shit?" Flash said. Ah the repetitive question. How lovely.

"I don't need to explain this to you again Flash," Peter said with an eye roll. A much harder smack to the back of the head came this time.

"You're such a loser Penis. As if a genius like Tony Stark would be seen with a worthless orphan like you," Flash sneered as he let out a cruel laugh and headed into the building, leaving Peter there with a pounding headache and a vein throbbing in his forehead.

"Jerk…" Peter mumbled, trying to hold back tears.

He wouldn't cry. Not now. His emotions had been acting up a lot lately. It might have been the stress of keeping his secret to be honest. Granted he had told Ned but it wasn't the same. He didn't want to bother Tony with his anxiety issues as he was too busy for something as silly as that. Not to mention hiding it all from May. If she found out, who knows what would happen.

"Hey Peter!" a voice said, breaking him out of his thoughts. He blinked his tears away as he saw Ned coming towards him.

"Hey Ned," Peter said with a smile.

"Flash pestering you about the internship again?" Ned asked as the pair started to walk into school. Peter nodded with a sigh.

"Yup, and he's got other people asking me about it too. Equally annoying too," Peter said.

"Yeah, and it sucks that the teachers doubt you too. I mean, that Spanish teacher gave you detention for even bringing it up!" Ned said with a frown.

True to his word, the news about the 'internship' had spread to the staff room and after the deliberation that the internships were not available to students, peter had become the target of ridicule, despite his intelligence. The pair entered the hallway and made their way to their lockers. Thanks to his hearing, Peter had no trouble hearing the comments about him.

 ** _"Is he really working at Stark Industries?"_**

 ** _"Why would Tony Stark want someone like him?"_**

 ** _"He isn't even that smart!"_**

 ** _"Maybe Tony is taking charity cases?"_**

 ** _"That makes sense! It sucks! He doesn't deserve it!"_**

 ** _"Loser!"_**

 ** _"Pathetic!"_**

Peter's brain was going a mile a minute. He just nodded when Ned was talking to him as he emptied his locker with the needed books for class. _They're right you know. That's all you are. A loser._ Shut up, Peter said back in his head. This had been happening a lot too. That nagging voice back in his head. Always putting him down. It had been louder as of late. Going out as Spider-man didn't help either. The voices in his head ranged from, _'You're not good enough to be a hero,'_ and _'You can't save them.'_

During classes, his brain spaced out. While he easily solved all of the problems and answered any questions the teachers asked (even when they tried to catch him out), his voices were overwhelming. When it came to lunch, he mindlessly poked at his dry meatloaf. He wasn't even hungry. His stomach disagreed. The breakfast he had earlier was probably the biggest meal he had had in weeks. He wasn't faking his happiness at eating it, goodness no. it was a lot of effort to do that. He had felt so happy being at the tower and staying over. So then why hadn't he told Ned. He could confide in Ned about all this. But for some reason he didn't want to. When the day finally ended and he parted ways with Ned, Flash had decided to trample him with four other jocks, leaving him in a pile of papers with the back of his left leg throbbing as well as his dominant hand. Perfect.

"What a great way to end the day," Peter sighed as he headed home; partially limping.

He dragged himself up his apartment stairs and opened the door to be greeted by silence. May must still be working, he thought. He then made his way to the kitchen to check and then the living room. His eyes then widened in horror. There, on the coffee table lay his suit. And a very angry looking aunt.

* * *

"Peter Benjamin Parker. What the hell is this?" May seethed. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crappity crap! Think Peter think! "I found this stuffed in your attic space while cleaning! Now explain!"

"No uh… it uh… that is my cosplay outfit!" Peter blurted out. May narrowed her eyes.

"Don't lie to me. I found those slingy things on the sleeves. I know you're the Spider-Man!" May snapped.

"May please…!" Peter tried again. No avail.

"Don't you dare try and excuse yourself. How dare you go out risking your life! You're a teenager! You shouldn't be involved in crime!" May shouted.

"I'm not! I help people!" Peter protested.

"Don't make me laugh! I've seen the media! You're a menace!" May said. That stung. That stung real bad. Her eyes then widened. "Washington…the ferry…the plane…did tony Stark make you do all this?"

"No of course not!" Peter answered. She didn't mention Germany. Thank Thor.

"He made you the suit, didn't he? Is that why you've been going to the tower! Oh god the internship was just a cover! He's been forcing you to do things with the Avengers! Those monsters!" May yelled. That struck a nerve.

"They're not monsters!" Peter yelled. May turned red with fury.

"How dare you defend them! I am your aunt! How could you do this to me?!" May said, grabbing a nearby vase and throwing it at Peter. This he was not expecting. It crashed into the side of his face, knocking him to the floor. He lay there in a daze, blood trickling down the side of his face.

"May please!" Peter said as he staggered to his feet.

"Don't you dare! I forbid you from being Spider-Man!" May shouted. No way in hell. Peter clenched his fists.

"No…" Peter said as he made a dive for the suit. Thanks to his reflexes, he was able to grab it before May. She looked extremely pissed.

"What did you say?" she growled.

"I…am…Spider-Man! I help people! They need me! I will not anyone else die like Uncle Ben!" Peter shouted back. She made a grab for the suit so now they were in a game of tug of war with the suit.

"Don't you dare use him as an excuse! If you wanted to protect people so much, then why didn't you protect your uncle? You let him die, didn't you?! You killed him!" May screamed as tears ran down her face.

Peter's heart stopped as his grip slackened. Oh god. It _was_ his fault. He had his powers on the night that Ben got shot. Why didn't he help? He was weak. That was it. He was weak. Maybe his aunt was right. He needed to be Spider-Man but he didn't deserve to be Spider-Man. He was so occupied with the internal battle in his mind, that his sense didn't pick up on the lorry blaring its horn as it was heading straight for the building. The last thing Peter saw on his aunt's face was anger and hate as the windows burst and the explosion was set off.

* * *

 **As a person who has a brain that often tells them negative things and always thinks that the worst will happen, this was hard to write. I'm sure many others have this problem. It's always good to talk to someone. But with May, I thought that this was a bit crazy but in all honestly, I figured she would have been angry to see him do all this. Plus I know a lot of you were annoyed with Steve so I hope you enjoyed that scene. Cupcakes to all, please review and bye for now!**

 **-Star**


	6. Chapter 6: An Extra Guest

**Hey everyone! Happy late Halloween! My favourite time of the year. But now all the Christmas lights are going up! I swear, I think I saw someone delivering Christmas cards already! Let Halloween simmer down slowly, not rush into Christmas. Although I wouldn't mind some snow. You hear that Jack Frost? Take a hint! So thanks for all of the feedback, follows and favourites!**

 **Now I realise that May is a bit OCC here but this is how I want to envision it. So yeah she's going to be a bit of a villain in this but it means more Avengers family fluff. I intend to have some satisfying moments in here liked certain people getting owned and stuff so you can look forward to that. Here are your cupcakes and now for shout outs!**

* * *

 **RXWriter: It is a bit over the top but that's my version of her. I thought it would be interesting.**

 **Guest: Thank you very much!**

 **Roxycall18: Glad you're enjoying it!**

 **Wisdom and Sea: Cheers, always happy to hear that!**

 **Fwoopergirl: Thank yooooouuu!**

 **Rosie Vulpes: I agree completely but it's one of the themes that I want to explore in this story. I want to show how damaging it is since a lot of people may feel something similar. Guilt wise anyway.**

 **Alia275: Yeah it is but I want to make him the cranky grandad of the Avengers family! Yeah, its how I would see it going down. Then Irondad would swoop right in. I wish there was a whole film dedicated to that. You'll find out here...and later on.**

 **Almondweb: Don't worry, baby spider is okay. For now... hint hint. Yeah, its an issue that I want to address. You'll find out here...and later on...I need to stop spoiling!**

 **Sorem: Thanks! You'll find out why he's so salty soon.**

 **Navyangel85: Thanks!**

 **a person 56: Do you need a tissue to dry your tears? I have some here somewhere. Glad you are intrigued! You'll see more of that soon.**

 **Guest: Here's the update!**

 **Guest: Glad to hear!**

 **dfcole: Thank you very much and I will!**

 **Dovewing15: Here ya go!**

* * *

 **Alright, here we go and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Tony was currently in the main room with Bruce discussing a new way to make his suit more adaptable to different environments. The last mission was in the desert and the amount of sand he got in his suit was staggering. He had sand rash in places he didn't even know he had! Clint was currently experimenting in the kitchen with pancakes. His kids had said that their mother was a better cook and he was going to prove them wrong. Natasha was currently watching him in amusement as he spilled batter on himself while she sipped black coffee. Bucky and Steve had currently been in the exercise room, with Steve having to vent out his frustrations about everyone letting a fifteen-year-old into a dangerous world. Bucky was just there for pure amusement and to nod at Steve's outbursts. Well, his outbursts didn't include any _language,_ so it was still funny. He was now sitting on the couch, really trying not to show that he was brooding. Bucky was reading the newspaper beside him.

"You know birdie, I don't want you to set my kitchen on fire," Tony called.

"I am not! I'm trying something here," Clint protested.

"And failing miserably," Natasha chuckled. Clint almost splattered some batter on her deliberately but then he saw the dangerous glint in her eyes. He lowered his spoon.

"Good choice," Bruce said as he had glanced over to see the commotion.

"Please don't make a mess," Steve complained. The last time someone had cooked, it had turned into a food fight. Steve was the only one sane enough to clear it up and he was not looking forward to doing it again.

"Lighten up Rogers," Tony said with a smirk. As Steve was about to retort, Friday came into the conversation.

 _"Boss, you have an incoming call from Queens' Hospital. Do you want to take it?"_ Friday asked.

"The hospital?" Tony asked in confusion.

This caught the attention from everyone else. Clint had even stopped attempting…whatever he was trying to make now and had come forward away from the kitchen. Natasha came forward too with her coffee and Bruce and Bucky had stopped what they were doing. Tony felt a feeling of dread in his stomach.

"Is Pepper okay?" Bruce asked as his mind immediately went to the worst scenario.

"Y-Yeah, she's fine, I talked to her not long ago. She's in Tokyo for business," Tony said as he tried to get rid of the horrible feeling.

"Answer it," Clint said.

"I don't think I want to," Tony said with a shudder.

"Friday, we'll take the call," Natasha said, and Tony looked at her in annoyance. Who could possibly be calling him for the hospital? He had no medication from that particular hospital and neither did Pepper.

 **" _Hello? Am I speaking to Mr Tony Stark?"_** a woman said; her voice in slight disbelief. Tony rolled his eyes internally. Every time he called any place, people always thought it was a prank call and never actually thought for once that it was him. The annoyance of everyone knowing you.

"Yes, you are. Not to be rude but why are you calling? I don't have any prescriptions to your hospital. No offence," Tony said.

"Smooth," Clint snickered. Natasha glared at him and he immediately quietened down.

 ** _"I apologise Mr Stark, but the patient said that he had no one else to call besides you,"_** the woman replied. That raised a few eyebrows.

"Who would have your number?" Bruce asked.

"You been to any clubs lately Tony?" Steve asked.

"Hey, not cool," Clint said as he pointed an accusing finger over at Steve.

Tony's temper was brewing, and he rubbed his temple. He had left that life of drinking and meeting up with strange women _way_ behind him. While he had been tempted to drink throughout these stressful weeks, he promised Pepper. Not to mention that…oh god. Oh please no. His eyes started to widen, and Natasha noticed this.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Who is it?" Tony asked, his brain screaming at him for him to be wrong. His mind then blanked as she said the name. A loud echo went right through his ears.

 **" _Peter Parker."_**

"Oh God," Natasha said as she almost dropped her coffee.

Clint's face immediately broke into one of worry as well as Bruce's. Bucky and Steve looked at each other in concern and both folded their arms. This wasn't good. Tony's heart was beating out of his chest. What was it? Oh god was he dead? No, he couldn't be otherwise the hospital wouldn't have called him. Why wasn't his aunt called? Nothing about this seemed right. He managed to snap himself out of it by realising that he had made his palms bleed as he was clenching his fist incredibly tightly.

"W-What happened, is he okay?" Tony choked out.

 **" _Well, there was an accident at his building as a lorry has crashed into it. While the building hasn't collapsed, the explosion of the lorry caused a tremor and eruption in some of the flats. Mr Parker and his aunt are both here. They're both in stable condition but his aunt hasn't spoken. Peter managed to give us your number. Could you please come down? We need to go over some things,"_** the woman explained.

"Yes of course, I'll be right there," Tony said as he hung up on the call.

"I'm coming with you," Natasha said.

"No, I'll go alone. I want you to look at that accident. See if anything is suspicious about it," Tony said as he pulled his phone out and texted Pepper about the situation.

"I'll go too," Steve said. This made Tony give him a death glare.

"I swear to god, if you're gonna start lecturing again…" Tony started but Steve raised his hand.

"No, I am not. This is highly concerning as Peter is a child like I said. I want to see if there is anything suspicious too. As he is Spider-Man, there are people out there who don't like him. I don't like him being a hero. But I don't like watching him or any others get hurt," Steve explained.

"Well…that's a start," Clint said.

"Whatever, I don't care about you right now, do what you want. Clint, Bruce and…Bucky…you stay here. I'm gonna bring him here unless he and his aunt have somewhere else, they want to go," Tony said as he put his phone away and grabbed his jacket. He had a kid to see.

* * *

After informing Happy of the situation, the pair practically flew to the hospital in the car. Happy was no saint when it came to the kid, but he couldn't deny that Peter did bring the occasional smile to his face. He had also given Pepper a call as she too was fond of Peter, and she was already extremely worried. With all the churro stories, it was hard not to listen. While they would probably get a hundred traffic tickets for the way they drove, it was totally worth it. Happy waited in the car anxiously while Tony hurried inside. Ignoring the looks he got from patients, visitors and staff, he managed to get the information he needed to find Peter. He finally got to the ward and came face to face with a nurse.

"Where is he?" Tony huffed out, completely out of breath from running up the stairs. Of all the times for lift to be broken.

"He's right through here. I am not sure but there seems to have been a disagreement with him and his aunt. She woke up first and she demanded to be moved to a different ward," the nurse explained.

"I see," Tony said thoughtfully. Crap. There would be only one reason for that.

"She's down the hall in a separate ward. Peter is right through here," the nurse said as she gestured to the door.

Tony nodded in thanks and then took the clipboard with his details listed on his current condition. Clearly the nurse knew him well enough from news reports to see what he was like and how his brain worked. He was feeling smug and insulted about it. He entered the room and his breath caught in his throat when he saw Peter. He was currently lying in bed with his head propped up slightly. His eyes were dim and there were tear streaks on his face, evidence of crying. He had a few scratches here and there on his face and only small bandages were wrapped on his arms. Appearance wise, nothing seemed to be critical. Inside…well that was another story. What should he say? He didn't want to be cheery. But he didn't want to be sad either. God he was an emotional brick! He took a breath as he approached the bed.

"Hey kid," Tony said as he stood by the bed. Peter titled his head towards him. He had been aware of Tony's presence the whole time. He just didn't know how to react anymore.

"H-Hey Mr Stark," he said quietly. God, he looked so…broken.

"I got the call about the accident. But I have to ask…you're not crying because of that are you?" Tony said carefully. Peter clenched the bedsheets slightly. His eyes started to water over again.

"Uh…" he started and Tony started to panic.

"I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't w-want to be a bother…" he started, his breathing quickening. Tony awkwardly placed a hand on the shaking's teen's shoulder.

"Hey, calm down, it's okay," he said reassuringly. "You _are_ not a bother. I like having you come around."

"Really?" Peter asked as his eyes started to brighten a little. Tony gave a smile. His brain backtracked. He needed to know what was wrong.

"Now I don't want to upset you but…can you tell me what's wrong. And I don't mean your injuries," Tony said calmly. Peter clenched his jaw slightly. He needed to tell someone, or his mind would go crazy.

"I came home and…May…found my suit," Peter said.

He had hoped that it was enough to say. He didn't want to go into any other details. Tony's eyes widened in realisation. Shit. No wonder he was so upset. Wait. Did that mean that May had something to do with this kid's state? Right now this had to be worded with extreme caution.

"She uh…didn't take it too well did she?" Tony asked. Peter shook his head slowly.

"No. She…hates me…because I defended you guys," he said with a sniff as he gripped his bedsheets. Tony had to blink twice to process that one.

"I'm sorry, cut back there, underoos. She hates you, because you defended us?" Tony said.

"Yeah…she called you monsters and that you forced me to do all this fighting stuff…Germany, Washington…and then forbid me from being Spider-Man," Peter said as a few tears slipped down his cheeks.

"I see…" Tony seethed as he tried to calm down.

The fact that the kid was defending him, the Avengers and his double life showed how much he cared about them all. But the fact that she didn't even see how much Spider-Man meant to him. To be frank, he did understand why she would be upset; it was a dangerous job to do. But she didn't seem to understand. In fact, it looks like she didn't even let him explain.

"Right kid. I think I need to speak with your aunt," Tony said. He was surprised when Peter grabbed his sleeve.

"No please don't Mr Stark! She'll…!" Peter started but then cut himself off. He didn't want to tell Mr Stark anything else. Then Mr Stark would hate him too. _Mr Stark will never care about you. You're nothing._ Peter forced the voice away and turned on his side to face the wall away from Tony, embarrassed as he let go of the sleeve.

"She'll what? Kid?" Tony asked in alarm. That sounded alarming. As he spoke, Peter seemed to curl up in his bed. Right this needed to be settled. Right now.

* * *

Tony was direction to May's ward which was on the other side of the building and he had a face like thunder. She wouldn't even be near her own nephew? He was fuming. He had texted Natasha a quick update on Peter and she had immediately replied in thanks. She was now wondering on what would happen to him, but Tony had to hold her on an update for that. He didn't mention the family disagreement, otherwise, he was certain he'd have an angry assassin on his hands. It was the same with Pepper when he let her know. Now he was in a private room area, belonging to May. He practically kicked down the door to see May in her bed, sitting up. She was in bandages like Peter but had one wrapped around her head and had her arm in a cast.

"Stark," she spat as she looked over at him.

"Nice to see you too," Tony said sarcastically. He stomped over to the bed but her glare didn't budge.

"You have a lot of nerve," May sneered. Strike one.

"Me? I have a lot of nerve? What kind of aunt makes their nephew feel like that?" Tony snapped.

"What kind of lunatic gives a teenager a high-tech suit?" May retorted.

"I gave him that suit to protect him! He has amazing abilities and that suit helps him use them better. And you tried to take it away!" Tony retorted.

"Protection? He a menace! People need protection from _him_!" May yelled back. Strike two. A tick appeared on Tony's head.

"You don't really believe that crap in the news, do you? He has saved a lot of lives! You should be proud of what he does! It's scary with what he does but he puts others before himself!" Tony replied dangerously.

"He lied to me. He's been with you and the others all this time. He's not normal…he's…a freak! Like all of you in that damn tower! Monsters! I don't want him near me anymore! Or living with me!" May snapped back.

"You would disown your own nephew?" Tony said, the anger now gone and being replaced with shock. May titled her head away from him.

"The day he met you is the day he stopped being my nephew," she said quietly. Tony was stone cold still at this point. He couldn't believe what had just left her mouth. An aunt to her nephew? That was…disgusting.

"You make me sick," Tony seethed as he turned on his heel and left the room; slamming the door hard behind him. His brain was going a mile a minute. What was he to do? This would break Peter. A nurse patting him on the shoulder broke him out of his thoughts.

"Mr Stark? Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Uh yeah…everything is fine. Say, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Of course," she asked.

"May Parker seems to be…unfit to take care of Peter. He has no other available family members to go to him," Tony stated.

"Yes, that is true. The authorities have been notified and they will be coming to collect him to put him in the system," the nurse said sadly. Over my dead body, Tony thought.

"What if a non-family member was available? Someone who had enough money, a decent home and all that. Would they be permitted to take Peter in?" Tony inquired. The nurse thought about this for a minute before answering.

"It depends on the person. They would have to go through the authorities and sign the appropriate forms. Do you have someone in mind?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah I do but I need the authorities' number. You know, to give to the uh…person in mind," Tony said as he gave a polite nod.

"Of course, I'll get it right away," the nurse said as she marked something down on her clipboard. She then headed off down the hallway and Tony pulled out his phone, dialled a number and held it to his ear.

"Hey Pepper. No, everything is fine. Well sorta. No, he's not in any danger! Just one thing. How do you feel about an extra person in the house?" Tony said, with a smile coming to his face.

* * *

 **Ooooh we have some drama up in here! Yes you can say May is OCC but it how I want her to be in the story. It's interesting to have different versions of characters on here. So feedback is appreciated! Cupcakes await! Bye for now!**

 **-Star**


	7. Chapter 7: A New Home

**Hello everyone. Sorry its been a while but a lot of stuff has happened since the last update! I won't abandon this story, the updates will just be a bit slow.**

 **Just a warning, this chapter contains distressing parts, containing anxiety, depression and hurtful thoughts. If this distresses you or makes you uncomfortable, then please don't read.**

 **Cupcakes to all and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Peter had to stay in the hospital for three days. May had left after one day, insistent on leaving, and the staff couldn't stop her if they tried. Hell, Peter didn't even find out that she had left until the nurse told him. He had refused to eat and had spent most of his awake hours crying. Ned had of course, visited Peter (after a sneaky text from Tony) and had even brought some spare work that he had missed. MJ had even popped in, and while she had been insulting per usual, she had been genuinely concerned about him. Not that he let them know about his insecurities of course. Nor the voices. No, nobody could know about them. But the day that Tony came in an told him that he would be staying with him, even the voices had nothing to say. Peter had been insistent on the fact that May would be back for him, but Tony didn't have the heart to bluntly tell him that he wouldn't let her within a mere few _centimetres_ of Peter. He had called the authorities and had let them know about him taking Peter in until something was officially sorted. He was completely against the idea of Peter going into foster care. He had seen how some families had treated children and it made him physically ill. The authorities were a little iffy at first given his reputation, but they had come to an agreement to let him live with Peter and someone would come to assess them in a few weeks.

It was the day of Peter's arrival to the tower. Happy had left to pick up Peter and was currently on their way back. While Peter had a spare room here, Tony (and Natasha) had taken it upon themselves to make it more of a home than a spare room; a fresh paint job, new books provided by Bruce, a few avengers plushies for a laugh, a new study desk and a new wardrobe provided by Pepper and with the occasional iron man shirt thrown in. Placed by in-denial-irondad. Clint had popped around to the remains of the apartment and had picked up some of Peter's belongings. He had resisted the urge to destroy the remainder of May's belongings. Everyone was livid when they found out what she had done, heck, Steve had even cussed! He had examined the apartment from top to bottom and had gone through all of the police reports. It seemed that it was all just a freak and unlucky accident. That made Tony feel slightly better. He didn't want a target on the kid's head as well as all the other crap he was going through.

* * *

"Alright, the kid will be here in a minute," Tony said as he checked his phone.

Everyone was currently present in the living room, all feeling pretty anxious, annoyed and nervous. Anxious about seeing Peter's state, annoyed at May and nervous about his reaction. Clint had attempted to make some food as a welcome gift but to avoid food poisoning, Tony had insisted on take-away tonight. Ned had actually provided some of Peter's favourite foods to Tony

Happy had sent him a text with Peter's current state. The answer? Depressed. After continually telling Tony that May wouldn't be back, the actual reality of the situation started to sink in. Ned had informed him that his parents couldn't even get in contact with her. She was gone. For a little while or for good, Tony didn't care. What he did care about was if she popped back up again and started harassing him. Or trying to take him back. He needed to build up a case.

"Remind me again why we haven't tracked down his aunt yet?" Clint asked in annoyance.

"Peter is more important right now," Natasha said, although she was adamant about it too.

"Guys, he's very emotionally fragile, so we need to be positive. I know you have your concerns about this Steve but please don't be…" Bruce started.

"An ass," Bucky finished.

"I won't be. I can see how much this means to him. How I reacted was similar to how May reacted. It's wrong. It'll be hard but I will get better," Steve said with a nod.

"Thank you," Tony said with a respectful nod.

The sliding of opening doors, making them all look over. Happy had entered the room, with an extremely pale looking Peter next to him. His eyes were slightly pink with black bags under them. He seemed to have lost a little weight, which was surprising since it had only been three days but due to his high metabolism, it had impacted him a lot differently. He was wearing his clothes that Tony had given him before leaving but they looked extremely baggy on him. He only had a small school bag with him. Speaking of school, Tony had instructed the nurses to call the school and give them a rough idea what was happening. He would have done it, but he knew that some people in the school wouldn't keep their mouth shut. He had simply told the nurses to tell them that Peter was in an accident and that May had been sent to a separate hospital for treatment and he was staying with a 'guardian'.

"Hey Mr Stark," Peter said with a slightly forced smile.

"Hey kid, glad you're here!" Tony said with a smile.

He didn't want to be over enthusiastic, (not that he wasn't, he was thrilled that Peter was here) since he thought it would be too much for Peter. He'd hope the others would read the room. Thankfully they did.

"Hey Pete!" Clint said cheerfully.

"Hello Clint," Peter said tiredly.

"I'm making some hot tea; do you want some?" Bucky asked, making Tony grimace slightly. Peter shook his head.

"Maybe later if that's okay," Peter replied. Steve and Natasha looked at each other. Was the kid seriously asking if it was okay to have tea later? Something didn't feel right. Tony saw Natasha's gaze.

"Okay Peter, I have your room all set up. Could you take him Happy?" Tony asked, earning a nod from the man.

The pair headed off down the corridor and Tony looked at Natasha. He knew the atmosphere went grim when she was concerned about something. It didn't help that Steve had a similar expression on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"He's hiding something," Natasha said.

"Of course, he is, can you even imagine all of the emotions he's feeling right now?" Bucky said.

Tony nodded at that comment; he was 100% sure that he would see Peter crying at least once when he was here. How he'd react to it was another story. Pepper would be back late tonight, so he'd hoped that if Peter was to cry, she'd be here. She would be an amazing mother. Wait, um mother? Maybe not that but that wasn't the point!

"Not emotion Tony. He's not telling us something. I'm not saying we should force him to. But maybe just keep an eye out for anything…" Steve started.

"Worrying," Clint suggested.

"Agreed," Tony said almost instantly. He was certain that Peter would stop doing things he'd love for a while but with some support, hopefully he could be smiling once again.

"In any case, what is going on with May?" Bucky asked curiously.

"Well she's a no show. I tried asking the nurse, but it was something about patient confidentiality. From what Peter has told me, she has no more living relatives on her side. His parents aren't around, his uncle died when he got his powers and his grandparents died years ago. And we'll be having the social workers round her in a few weeks to check on him. Leeches…" he muttered.

"Well, we will just have look after him the best we can," Natasha said.

"Looking after a superhuman teenager who stole Cap's shield. What could go wrong?" Clint said cheerfully. Tony smirked a little at Steve's face.

"He did not…!" he started.

"Well on that note, I'm going to go check on him. Since it's nearly dinner time, should we order takeaway?" Tony asked.

"We can't give him takeaway every day. We need something healthier. Maybe some tomato pasta with tuna or something?" Bruce suggested.

"Fine, okay," Tony said as he headed in the direction of Peter's room. Clint's comments couldn't be contained and called after him.

"Yeah, pasta is better! You need to make a good dad by the time the social worker gets here!" Clint called, earning a few laughs from his friends. He was 100% sure Tony was blushing. He was right.

* * *

Peter was currently standing in his new room in awe. He saw all of the new decorations and all the careful thought that had been put into it. He smiled as he saw the plushies of the Avengers on the bed. He went over and ran his hand across the soft covers.

"All of this is for me?" Peter whispered.

Happy, who was currently standing by the door, watched him in concern. It wasn't that he didn't like the chirpy usual teen since he was mostly moody. He just…missed it. Happy also didn't like the behaviour display when he was driving him. He watched him in the rear mirror. He could have sworn he was talking to himself and twitching his head.

"Everything alright Happy?" Tony asked as he came through the doorway.

"Uh yeah. I think so," Happy said as he patted Tony on the shoulder. Maybe he was just over reacting. Tony watched him go and then turned to Peter, who still had his back to him.

"Hey Pete. Can we talk?" Tony asked as he came and sat down on the bed and patted the space next to him. Peter looked at the space and then Tony before sitting down carefully.

"Yes Mr Stark?" Peter asked. God, the kid looked so sad. Tony was almost afraid to put his hand on his shoulder in case he broke into pieces.

"So, we went over this in the hospital. You're gonna be staying with me for a while until a social worker comes over to check on you. Hopefully then they'll let you stay with me more," Tony said.

"Until May comes back?" Peter said hopefully. Tony did his best not to sigh.

"Peter…May isn't coming back. I'll be honest with you. I haven't been able to contact her. Ned's parents haven't been able to either," Tony answered, making Peter look down at his feet.

"Oh…I see," Peter said. _See, I told you May didn't want you. It won't be long before Tony gets rid of you too._ Peter's eye twitched slightly at that.

"I'll be even more honest with you. After what you told me she said to you, I don't want her near you. I don't like the negative impact she's left. But if she does come back I won't hide it from you," Tony told him as he got the courage to place his hand on his shoulder. Thankfully the kid didn't flinch.

"Thank you, Mr Stark," Peter said with a tiny smile which made Tony smile.

"Come on kid, you're making me feel old with the Mr and stuff. Just Tony will do. I mean you can still call Clint that cause well…he is old," Tony said with a grin.

"I take offence to that," a voice said in annoyance. The two looked up to see Clint standing there.

"Good," Tony stated, earning an eye roll from Clint.

"So anyway Pete! I'm trying to get Bucky to play _Mario Kart_ but he keeps breaking the controller with that stupid metal hand. You want in?" Clint asked.

"Sure," Peter said, raising his head slightly. Clint grinned and then looked at Tony.

"I would ask you to play but you know…" Clint started.

"What?" Tony asked irritably.

"With your advanced age, I don't think you can see the screen and you'd crash into a penguin…even Steve could beat you," Clint stated. This made Tony jump up and immediately made a swing for Clint's head but missed and hit the doorframe.

"Ah damn it! Barton you're dead!" Tony yelled and ran after Clint, who had proceeded to run down the hall laughing. Peter let out a small chuckle as he watched them. He was about to get up when something echoed in his head.

 _It's all and act you know. They're only pretending to like you because you're a charity case and no one else likes you. You'll be out on the streets in a week._

"No, you're…wrong…" Peter said uncertainly as he headed out after the pair.

* * *

An hour later, the heroes were all in the main room, watching Peter and Clint battle it out on _Mario Kart_. Actually, it was more of a slaughter than anything since Peter kept beating him by a mile on the laps with that damn Luigi. Toad was no match for him. Clint had managed to spill his own food whilst on Rainbow Road. Tony was pleased to see that Peter had eaten his food. He needed to be better if he wanted to go out as Spider-Man. Speaking of which, they needed to have a chat about that later. It occurred to him that he hadn't mentioned the webbed slinger once.

"It's not fair!" Clint said for the twentieth time.

"Non puoi essere il potente Luigi," Peter said shyly.

"Nice," Tony chuckled.

"Was that an insult?" Clint demanded, earning a tiny flinch from Peter which went unnoticed by everyone, minus Bruce, who frowned a little. That…was weird.

"Unwind your undies Barton, don't be a sourpuss just because you can't beat him," Tony stated. Clint threw the controller aside and pouted slightly.

 _See, you upset him. Nice one idiot._

"Sorry," Peter mumbled.

"Hey no worries Peter. Clint is just a sore loser," Bucky said with a smile.

"And a baby," Natasha added in.

"Excuse me?" Clint started but a glare from Natasha made him curl up on the couch. "At least I don't break the controllers," Clint muttered.

"Stop acting like children. It's only a game," Steve stated.

"You're one to talk. Every time we'd kick a ball around, you'd always have a pout when you'd miss it and kick a pole by accident," Bucky stated. This made everyone laugh and for Steve to glare at everyone.

 _Stop upsetting people!_

"Hello, I'm home!" a cheerful voice said. Tony jumped up from the couch like a dart. He ran over to the entrance way and embraced Pepper in a big hug.

"Hey Pep!" he said with a smile as he kissed her check.

"Hey Tony. Hey everyone," Pepper said as she waved to everyone, who promptly waved back.

Her eyes then fell on Peter, who seemed to shrink under her gaze. Pepper's eyes softened. Tony had explained on the phone in great detail. She was absolutely livid with May and if she ever crossed paths with her, she'd strangle her. Peter looked in need of a hug, but she didn't want to over step her boundaries. She needed to ask him first.

"Come over here Pete!" Tony said with a smile.

Peter got up and shyly shuffled over. Pepper almost gasped at his condition when he came closer. He looked half dead. She bit her tongue and smiled warmly at him.

 _They're all looking at you. They think you look like a freak. Which you are._

"Nice to meet you Peter. You'll be staying with a us a while, right? I hope you'll help me keep Tony in check," Pepper said, and Tony put a hand over his chest in mock hurt.

"Do you think that little of me?" he asked.

"Yes," everyone said in unison.

"Alright seeing as I am the one being bashed about here, that means I get the choice of movie tonight!" Tony declared.

"Oh please no more action crap…" Bruce complained.

"Hey, it beats your romance crap," Tony sneered.

"You can't go wrong with romance!" Bruce said in defence.

"Amen," Bucky declared.

"I vote thriller! Natasha said.

"I vote horror!" Clint said loudly.

"Psychological," Steve said calmly.

"When you are all done, I think Peter should choose the film tonight," Pepper said sternly. Everyone shrugged as they thought that was fair and looked at Peter. He felt eyes on him and immediately felt an abnormal amount of pressure.

 _You're gonna screw up. You're going to ruin everyone's evening. Just leave._

"Ummm…actually Mr Stark…I'm a little tired," Peter admitted. Tony deflated a little but then smiled.

"That's fine. Tomorrow we can have some fun. Pizza for breakfast!" Tony said eagerly.

"What are you, eight?" Natasha said with a smirk.

"Yes," Tony insisted.

"Okay… goodnight everyone," Peter said with a small smile. He then headed off to his new room with everyone watching him go.

"I think that went well," Clint said cheerfully as the group started to chat about activities they could do tomorrow. It was a game of training with spiderson versus beating Luigi once and for all. Tony pulled Pepper aside quietly.

"I think that went well. Peter is going have a big impact around here," Pepper said with a smile.

"Yeah I know. He a little under the weather right now with everything that had happened so it's going to take a while before he's happier with us," Tony said as he hugged her.

"Well, we will have to help him along with that," Pepper said as she smiled warmly.

* * *

Peter stood in his new room's bathroom, staring at his reflection. He had his shirt off and was looking at the patchy skin due to the injuries he took from the explosion and from the thugs he caught around the city. He sighed as he looked at himself. He had just come out of the shower and his hair stuck to his forehead.

 _Look at yourself. You're disgusting. How can you call yourself Spider-Man looking like this? Pathetic. Completely pathetic._

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Peter muttered to himself as he started to inhale deeply.

Sweat started to trickle down his head and chest. He started to pale even more. His vision started to get blurry as he staggered to the toilet. He fell to his knees and gripped the edge of the toilet; his knuckles whitening from the grip. The toilet almost cracked but Peter managed to restrain himself as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. It felt like his whole throat was on fire.

This went on for two minutes before he pulled himself up and then pulled on his pyjamas, which consisted of a plain shirt and baggy joggers. He flicked off the light and slid into bed. He pulled the covers up to his chin and stared at the ceiling. The voices echoed in his head and he covered his ears and clenched his eyes shut.

"Stop it…" Peter muttered, whilst trembling slightly.

He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours until he finally opened his eyes to see an Iron Man plushie looking straight at him. His breathing hitched. Small tear droplets came to his eyes as he looked at the toy. A shaky hand then came out from the covers and closed around the toy, which he pulled to his chest. A warm feeling came in his heart as the toy made him feel slightly calmer.

"Everyone…does want me here…Tony is looking after me…the Iron-dad jokes…are they really jokes?" he muttered to himself. His super hearing did pick up on these things. The idea made him embarrassed like Tony, but he never dismissed the idea. To his relief, the voices said nothing.

For the first time in months, the voices were quiet as Peter fell into a deep sleep while cuddling the plushie.

* * *

 **It's a cute ending. I think so anyway. So yeah, Peter is dealing with a lot right now and there will be more chapters concerning all of these emotions that Peter is feeling. I am doing my best with the IronDad moments, they're just so cute. So please review and let me know what you think. Thank you for all of the follows, favourites and feedback you've given me so far! Bye foe now!**

 **\- Star**


	8. Chapter 8: Back to School

**Hello everybody! Been a while since I posted but it is a nice long chapter.**

 **THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ANXIETY, DISTRESS, VOICES IN THE MIND AND DETECTIONS OF BULIMIA. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF ANY OF THESE DISTRESS YOU IN ANYWAY.**

 **These are all very serious aspects that people face in life. While I have faced anxiety in my life, I know that there are others that have had it a lot worse. You should speak to someone; a friend, family member or even someone you work with as it always helps to talk about this.**

 **However, there is of course some lovely humour with the Avengers family since who doesn't love Irondad? And Steve is now coming around as the Grandpa I find! So I hope you enjoy, and remember, stay safe!**

* * *

It was now early in the morning and Tony was the first one up. He was secretly trying to look up helpful tips online on how to look after a somewhat depressed teenager. As sad as it was, he needed help. Sure, the others were there but none of them had this experience. Despite Clint having kids of his own, nothing he had done had come close to this. Not to mention that this website had no tips for dealing with a teenager that had superhuman abilities. That wouldn't be a best seller at all. While he was sipping his coffee and reading the website on his tablet, he had failed to notice Natasha entering the room. She started to greet him but then saw how in thought he was with whatever was on his tablet. She silently creeped up behind him and snatched the tablet out of his hand.

"Damn you woman!" Tony snapped as he almost spilled his coffee in his shock and attempted to reach for his tablet, but she was well away from him now.

"Oh, lighten up," she said as her eyes scanned the tablet. She looked up at Tony who still had a frown on his face. This was too cute.

"Don't judge me I'm only human!" Tony defended, prompting a chuckle from the widow.

"Tony, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Natasha said.

"I heard 'Tony' and 'embarrassing', I'm here!" Clint said, randomly appearing out of nowhere. Honestly, he was like a ninja whenever the topic of embarrassing someone came up.

"Shut up!" Tony almost shouted. Natasha handed the tablet over and Clint eagerly scanned it. He was slightly disappointed with what he saw but he appreciated the effort either way.

"Aw come on Tony, there's nothing wrong with this," Clint said in agreement. Tony ran a hand through his hair as he got up and swiped the tablet back. He cleared it from the screen and history quickly.

"I know that. I am well aware that he isn't himself and that he is hiding something, which was pointed out yesterday. I want to find out without making it an interrogation. Hence the website," Tony told them.

"Tony, a website isn't going to give you answers for this. We will help you all we can, but he has a closer bond with you. If anyone can help him it's you," Natasha said truthfully. She knew he liked being an Iron-Dad; denial or not.

"Yeah. But on that note, I need pancakes," Clint said as he then made his way to the kitchen counter and started pulling out the necessary ingredients.

"Is it your goal to burn down my kitchen?" Tony asked in annoyance.

This went unanswered as Clint started pouring substances into the bowl. Think toast will do, Tony thought with a slight shudder. He took notice of the time and then realised the day. While Peter had stayed in hospital for three days for recovery, Tony had insisted on keeping him there an extra day, so he could try to find May and prepare his room. Therefore, he had come home the next day, which had happened to be Sunday. That meant today was Monday. A school day. Tony felt like kicking himself. He had completely forgotten to ask Peter about school. Yes, his friends had brought in the work but if he kept him from going to school, red flags would go up. Hey, he had no issue with him staying home after all this. But this wouldn't not look good to the authorities if he wasn't receiving his education.

"Want some more coffee?" Natasha called over.

"No thanks!" Tony said as he then started to make his way to Peter's room.

* * *

Standing outside his room, Tony took a deep breath. Why was he nervous? Damn that website! It had made him uncertain. No! Come on. I am Iron Man! Man, up for crying out loud. He then knocked on the door. No answer. He then slowly edged the door open and it took all of his willpower not to take a picture. Peter was curled up in the sheets like a little sushi roll, the lower half of his face hidden by the sheets and the best part was the little Iron Man plushie tucked in with him. Thank you Pepper, Tony internally screamed. He made his way over to the bed and sat down. Tony placed his hand on Peter's shoulder and shook it slightly.

"Hey kid?" he said softly. Peter then opened his eyes wearily and proceeded to sit up slowly. He rubbed his eyes and was about to greet who he thought was May but realised his error a second too late.

"Morning M-Tony," he said, hoping his error would go unnoticed. He was incorrect.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" Tony asked.

"Okay," Peter answered simply.

"I see the plushie helped?" Tony teased slightly, causing Peter to blush slightly and to push the plushie away slightly.

"I mean…" he said shyly.

"Hey as long as it wasn't a Captain plushie, I'm good," Tony said with a laugh.

"Right," Peter said with a smile. His eyes darted to the left slightly as he expected for the voices to make a comment. There were none. That was a little unsettling. There was a pause. Okay, time for the big question.

"So, um Pete. I know that you've had a lot to deal with. With May and your injuries, you've had to rest. Your friends have brought your work over from school, so I was wondering when you'd feel comfortable going to your classes," Tony said carefully, feeling the need to pat himself on the back for the wording. Thank you website, he thought.

"Oh, I see," Peter said. He was still a little hopeful that May would return but he wasn't so sure. His mind had repeatedly played the fight over in his head and his internal voices didn't help. It's not like Tony was forcing him to go…unless he just wanted rid of him for a few hours. No, that couldn't be it.

 _You sure about that?_

Damn it. On the other hand, his friends did visit him, so maybe they'd be happy to see more of him. But then again, after all this, the school would have bound to find out. He knew that Tony had informed the school about it. Not the fact that he was living here. Just that there was a situation and he was living with a temporary guardian until the situation was cleared up. Ugh, temporary. It made him sound like a piece of trash that people were throwing back and forth and the loser had to keep him. House to house. Guardian to guardian. He couldn't speak out of term to either or else they'd hate him.

"Peter?" Tony asked, breaking the kid out of his mini daze.

"Sorry. I'm okay with going back. I do miss school," Peter said half-heartedly.

"You sure? I'm not forcing you," Tony said assuredly.

"Yeah I'm okay," Peter insisted.

"Okay. Well Happy will be dropping you off there every day and will be picking you up. Don't worry, he volunteered. I'm amazed that you can get him to have a conversation with you, he's such a stick in the mud," Tony said, making Peter chuckle. A thought then crossed his mind.

"Um, is it okay if he drops me like a little away? I just don't want to be stared at, you know?" Peter asked shyly.

"That's a thought. Last thing you need are people being leeches and nosey," Tony said with a nod. Tony then patted his shoulder and stood up. "So just get yourself sorted and then come out for some breakfast. Then maybe tonight I can show you a new project I've been working on."

"Really? Thanks!" Peter said with stars practically emitting from his eyes. Tony smiled as he left the room. Peter then stood up and started to make his way to the chest of draws for some clothes.

 _Charity case._

"Shush," Peter muttered. Push them away, he thought. Push them!

* * *

Tony walked back into the kitchen area, where the others had now assembled to eat some breakfast. Breakfast consisted of toast and cereal as they had refused to eat Clint's so-called pancakes. Tony eyed them as he sat down next to Pepper. Yes, he was pretty sure than pancakes weren't supposed to have green spots on them.

"So, how'd it go?" Pepper asked as she sipped her coffee while reading the morning paper. Tony poured himself a cup and thought about the question. He then nodded slowly.

"I think…it went okay," he answered honestly.

"Good. What'd you say?" Steve asked, buttering his toast.

"I asked how he slept, and when he'd be comfortable going back to school," Tony said.

"Which was met with?" Bruce asked.

"A yes," Tony said. Natasha narrowed her eyes at this as did Pepper.

"Is that a good idea?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah Tony. Not that you didn't do a good start but going to school seems a bit too early. I know he needs his education for the social worker's approval but is he mentally ready?" Natasha asked, lowering her voice at the last part.

"I double checked, he said he was okay," Tony said, but the women knew that he was confident with it either.

"When people say they're okay, they don't always mean it," Bruce said in concern.

"I know but what else can I do? Rip his emotions out?" Tony asked with a frown.

"You mean like how you all ripped Clint's out by not eating his pancakes?" Bucky asked with an amused smirk at Clint's pouty face at the stack of uneaten pancakes.

"You are all monsters," Clint said with a sneer.

"Oh, help us for not wanting to get food poisoning," Bruce commented. Clint almost threw the stack at his face until he saw Peter enter the room. He was wearing jeans, a green jacket and a shirt with an atom printed on the front.

"Hey everyone," Peter said with a smile.

"Hey Spiderling. Pancake?" Clint asked hopefully as Peter took a set on the other side of Tony. Peter saw them and laughed awkwardly. Tony came to his rescue.

"Ignore him, eat this instead," he said, sliding a plate of toast in front of him.

Peter stared down at his plate uncertainly. Did he need this? His stomach agreed but his head did not. He could get rid it all later, he thought. He picked up a slice, only hesitated ever so slightly for a millisecond and started to eat. That millisecond went past everyone's eyes apart from four. Natasha and Bruce watched him intently and then cast a gaze over to each other.

"So, are you all caught up on your work?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, my friends brought me the work in and helped me finish it," Peter said as he finished his slice; his hands unconsciously picking up the next slice.

"That's good then," Bucky said with a smile. Peter smiled back but then realised something. He was just about to something until something made him stop.

 _Don't burden them with your stupid questions._

"What's up Peter?" Natasha said, instantly picking up on the fact that he was holding back something. She slightly regretted it slightly since it would alter her thoughts on what he was actually hiding.

"I was just wondering…what should I say when people ask me about what happened," Peter forced out. The tone of his voice was picked up by Bruce instantly. Tony nodded in understanding, knowing this would come up.

"Well Peter, as you know I have talked to the school about this and kept it discreet. Only your principal knows about you living with me. He's told the other teachers that you're staying with a temporary guardian," Tony answered.

 _Temporary. You make me sick._

"So, if others ask you, just say that you've been rehoused with your aunt," Pepper said, hating to bring up the mention of that disgusting human. "I know it's painful to say but the less people know about you, the better. You don't need stress sweetie."

"Okay thank you," Peter said with a small smile. There was an awkward pause until Tony snapped his fingers.

"Oh, that reminds me," he said as he fished into his jacket pocket and handed Peter a very sleek looking phone. Peter blinked in surprise as he took it.

"Is this…for me?" Peter asked in shock.

"Of course, underoos! Since your old one got burnt up, we could you this new one. All of our numbers are in this, in slight code but you'll be able to guess who is who," Tony said with a smile. Peter opened up the phone and scanned through.

"Katniss?" Peter said with a slight smile, earning an annoyed huff from Clint, making the table laugh.

"What are the others?" Clint asked, eager to insult the others.

"Ummm…we have Katniss, Happy, Old Man, Metal Head, Dr Green, Salt, Scary Lady and…E.L.M.O?" Peter said in confusion at the last one. Everyone began yelling at Tony at once, who merely laughed.

"Real original," Pepper said at the obvious choice of name.

"Now, now, no need to be salty," Tony teased, earning him a smack in the face with the newspaper.

"I'd like to point out that only my arm is metal," Bucky chuckled.

"I am not old!" Steve insisted. Denial.

"Okay, now that everyone is happy with their choices, I think you need to be getting to school. Happy is waiting for you downstairs," Tony said, patting Peter on the back. Both of them stood up as Tony went to see him off by the door. Tony then whispered something into Peter's ear, causing him to laugh as he waved goodbye to everyone. Tony proudly made his way back over.

"What are you so smug about?" Steve asked.

"My code," he said smugly.

"You named yourself after a character off Sesame Street," Clint said in confusion. There was a slight pause as Bruce then deduced why he was grinning, as did Pepper.

"And you're smiling because…" Bucky asked.

"E.L.M.O is an acronym," Bruce said with an eye roll.

"Which stands for?" Natasha asked.

"Everyone Loves Me Obviously," Pepper finished with the shake of her head as everyone then proceeded to throw their toast at Tony. He was just thankful that it wasn't their drinks they threw.

* * *

Peter was currently sitting in the back of the car as Happy drove him to school. Happy looked in the mirror and saw that he was aimlessly looking out the window. He knew that Peter was overjoyed at having the phone but also knew that he was uncomfortable at having such an expensive gift. Damn, that kid was just too precious. Looking back to the road, he realised that he had now arrived at the spot where he was supposed to drop him off.

"Okay uh, we are here. You call me or the others if you're not comfortable okay?" Happy said, breaking Peter out of his daze.

"Yes, thanks Happy," Peter said as he went to open the door. Happy then opened his mouth again.

"Hey," he said quickly. Peter looked back at him. "It's going to be okay."

"Thanks," Peter said with a small smile as he left the car and slammed the door.

Peter then watched the car drive away and then started to walk in the direction of the school. He started to make his way towards school, his feet feeling like they weighed a ton of bricks. Okay he could do this. He had Ned and MJ for support. But then what if they left him too? No, they wouldn't do that.

 _Or would they? You're a loser. Your presence would only make them losers too._

"No…they hang out with me because they like me," Peter muttered to himself.

 _Sure, that's why they haven't checked on you since you've come home from the hospital._

"Mr Stark probably told them to give me space," Peter said to himself uncertainly. There was no response which relieved Peter but then realised that he had come into the school grounds and was now at the bottom of the steps.

"Peter!" a cheery voice yelled. He turned to see Ned and MJ approaching him. Ned was smiling hugely while MJ looked…well like she did but she was happy. At least he thought she was.

"Hey guys," he said.

"Hey? After living at you know where, all you can say is 'hey'?" Ned asked in bewilderment. He would have shaken Peter to death if MJ hadn't held him back.

"Easy loser. Let this loser have his space," MJ said in annoyance.

"Thanks," Peter said as he held onto his satchel as he was starting to get anxious as he noticed that people were starting to look at him oddly. The bell then rang out, making his senses spike slightly. Damn he hated that thing.

"Come on, science awaits!" Ned said, eagerly praying for time to go quicker so he could hear about Peter's _adventures_ in the tower with the Avengers. In all honesty, the trip to the actual classroom was long enough. The whispers were circling him like wasps, practically stinging him at every word.

 ** _"Hey Peter's back. I heard he was in an accident!"_**

 ** _"No way really?!"_**

 ** _"I thought he was put into an orphanage!"_**

 ** _"Do you think he paid someone to cause the explosion?"_**

 ** _"Probably. I mean if my life sucked as much as his, I'd want to die too."_**

"Die?" Peter whispered to himself.

"You say something Peter?" Ned asked cheerfully.

Peter put on a fake smile and shook his head. But in the back of his mind, he was debating that last sentence. Die? That was…a thought. This word lingered in his mind as he headed into his first class of the day. It would have been his favourite except that there was a new teacher.

Mr Hopkins. He was a tall lean man with very thin cheekbones and beady eyes. He was a boring man, wore the same coloured suit to work every day and took the fun out of science. He was always harsh on the students. He strived for perfections. He took marks off papers when the writing wasn't neat enough. He especially didn't like Peter. Naturally the rumours of his internship got into the teachers' lounge and they were no strangers to gossip. Of course, Peter wasn't dull. Mr Hopkins was especially harsh on him. He knew why. The internship. He completely rejected the idea of Peter having an internship and he had pointed this out in front of his classes, causing many remarks from students. Cruel ones of course. Peter had done his research and it turns out that he had worked at Stark Industries for a month until he was fired. He had no idea what for, but Mr Hopkins took his anger out on Peter. there was a catch. Despite all this, everyone knew that Peter was a genius at science. Mr Hopkins couldn't mark him down if all the correct answers and working outs were correct. It just made science less fun and more exhausting.

"Morning class. Today we will be focusing on Radioactivity," Mr Hopkins said as he drew on the board.

The students groaned slightly and opened up their textbooks. Peter shook his head slightly as he forced the small voice out of his head, so he could concentrate. As Mr Hopkins droned on and Peter blindly started taking notes, his head started to practically itch.

 _You sure you're going to be able to keep up? You're not that smart._

Peter's eyes darted slightly. His sensory abilities seemed weird. For some reason, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The clock on the wall stopped. The turning of pages echoed. The scratching of pens and pencils stabbed through his head. His foot started to twitch as he tightened his grip. Everything seemed to speed up as his eyes then shot open at the sound of his name being called.

"Mr Parker! If you've had enough time day dreaming, perhaps you'd like to answer this question on the board?" Mr Hopkins said sharply. The class laughed, and MJ scowled at them while Ned did his best to pull a scowling face.

"Uh sorry sir uh…" Peter said as he squinted to look at the board. Easy enough. "It's Uranium-235 and americium-238."

"Correct," Mr Hopkins practically spat out. "Maybe if you focused more on the class than daydreaming about your internship, then you'd answer quicker."

"Nice one sir," Flash snickered.

"Quiet Flash," Mr Hopkins said, although there was a slight grin on his face.

"Sorry sir," Peter said automatically.

"Well your internship is one thing to lie about. But copying Stark's horrible attitude is another," Mr Hopkins said. That pulled a nerve.

 _You sure you wanna go there. You're not good at defending others you know._

"He's not like that," Peter said with a small frown. Mr Hopkins narrowed his eyes.

"Detention for talking back. Maybe in detention, you can think about the consequences about lying," Mr Hopkins said, with a hint of smugness.

"How is that fair?" Ned said in annoyance.

"Yeah, at least adjust your biased attitude problem," MJ said with a frown.

"One more word out of you two and you'll be joining Mr Parker. Understood?" Mr Hopkins warned. MJ and Ned went to speak again but then Peter gave them a pleading look. They grumbled and quietened down. Satisfied, Mr Hopkins turned back to the board. Snickers were still aimed at Peter.

 _Now see what you did. You got your friends in trouble too. You suck._

All Peter wanted to do at that point was to curl up in the corner and hide.

* * *

The remaining three classes flew by and while they weren't as bad as science, it didn't stop the whispers going around. Internship this, internship that. It was at points where he wished he could just reveal everything, but he knew that would do more harm than good to his head. He had thought about using music to drown everything out but that only gave him a very bad headache. It was now the middle of the day, which meant one thing. Lunch.

He, Ned and MJ were currently sitting in the cafeteria; one end discussing the potential of Star Wars, the other claiming the idiocy of the prospect that lightsabers can do anything but good. Peter was chiming in now and then but lacked the enthusiasm that he usually had. Ned had picked up on this as had MJ, but Peter had insisted he was fine. One thing that was noted was that Peter had practically inhaled his food. While Ned was happy his friend was sustaining his food, he realised that Peter's face was slightly sunken. If he was eating, why did he look like he was losing weight. Did it have to do with metabolism? No. he's been Spider-Man for well over a year now and this had never come up before. Should he tell his parents? No, what could they do? Well May was out of the question. There was only one option. Tony Stark. The question was how. Peter wouldn't be arrogant to throw away his number. Not that he was of course. He had admired the new phone greatly and had eagerly added his new number along with MJ's.

"So, what do you think about Mr Stark making an actual lightsaber?" Ned suddenly said, lowering his voice to a slight whisper at the mention of his mentor's name.

"I don't know. I don't think he has time for stuff like that. He's a busy guy," Peter replied.

"Thank you!" MJ said with a slightly mean grin at her point being clarified.

"Come on Peter, you live with him now," Ned insisted. MJ was not surprised by this as she was the other person beside Ned who knew this. She believed his 'internship' entirely, but the Spider-Man aspect was…left out.

"It's one thing to live with him but to demand stuff…" Peter trailed off.

"I guess," Ned said in disappointment.

 _Now you've upset your friend. Nice work. Idiot._

"I'm getting more water," Peter said quickly as he then got up and then started to make his way over to the vending machine.

"He's acting…odd. And not a good odd," MJ said with a raised eyebrow. Ned merely shrugged. Maybe he was just being paranoid like usual.

Peter was slowly making his way over to the machine, thoughts racing through his head. Maybe his friends made a point. Was he demanding too much off Mr Stark already. He felt his phone in his jacket inside pocket, carefully hidden. The last thing he wanted was for it get damaged or stolen. He was so in thought, he didn't realise that getting to the machine would take him right past Flash's table. He didn't hear the snickering over the voices. He didn't see the cruel grins. Nor did he see Flash's foot stick out. Peter felt his feet lift off the floor, only to meet it with his head. It slammed to the floor, doing a double bounce before resting there. His arms sprawled out and he felt a foot slam on one of them. The next thing he knew was cruel laughter echoing in his ears.

"Watch your footing there, Penis!" Flash taunted. Soon the insults were practically flying around the canteen.

 ** _"That's what you get for lying!"_**

 ** _"What a loser!"_**

 ** _"Fake!"_**

 ** _"Pathetic!"_**

 ** _"Attention seeker!"_**

 ** _"Just do everyone a favour and stop existing!"_**

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry," Peter mumbled under his breath as a loud ringing came through his ears.

He felt a warm trickle come down the side of his face. He needed to leave now. He practically forced himself to his feet and ran out of the canteen with the laughter following him. Ned and MJ got up from their seats and tried to follow him but the crowd of students pointing after him and laughing made them lose him.

* * *

Peter practically slammed through the door to the toilets, making a notable dent in the wall. He locked himself in the toilet cubicle and pulled his feet up so no one would see him. He had his knees to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them and started to rock back and forth. Tears streaked down his cheeks as he held in his sobs.

 _No wonder you're the laughing stock. Can't stand up for yourself, tripping over and crying like a baby. No wonder May left. Your friends will leave you too._

"No, they won't. they are my friends," Peter argued in a choked whisper.

 _How do you know? You've been wrong about so many things. You thought you were worthy to wear the suit? Mr Stark took it away. You thought Liz loved you. She left because of you. Want me to go on?_

"No…please stop," Peter begged as he clutched the side of his head.

 _How long are you going to act like this? Soon you be all alone!_

"Shut up!" Peter practically screamed.

There was a long silence. As he continued to rock, he felt a vibration from his jacket. With a shaky hand, he reached into his pocket, slightly thankful that he hadn't broken it in the fall. He opened his messages and saw…a group chat. It appeared that his new roommates had set up a chat with him. They had all sent him messages.

 **Dr Green: Hope all is going well in school!**

 **Katniss: Yeah, listen to the nerd.**

 **Dr Green: I am not a nerd.**

 **E.L.M.O: He's right. I am THE nerd!**

 **Old Man: You are all children. I hope you are having a good day Peter.**

 **Metal Head: Spoken like a true old man.**

 **Scary Lady: Amen.**

 **Salt: But seriously Peter. I hope you're having a good day. We have some sandwiches from that place you love! Delmar's!**

 **E.L.M.O: Yeah! One thing, gotta hold that surprise on you kid, it's not ready yet.**

 **Katniss: You're slacking.**

 **E.L.M.O: Do you wanna go right here?**

This conversation went on for a while, but Peter didn't even read it. On hold? Why would he hold on the surprise?

 _Because you're not worth his time._

Peter then buried his head in his knees, continuing to sob until the bell went. He was being to think the voice was right.

* * *

The day kept getting worse and worse. After retreating to his next class after lunch, the insults just wouldn't stop. Ned and MJ had done their best to stop them even with MJ threatening a few people with a punch to the face. Nothing stopped them nor cheered Peter up. He wasn't even left alone in detention. The voices were louder and angrier. Not to mention the students who were also in detention were throwing paper balls at him. When he finally left school and headed to the place where he was supposed to be picked up, he saw, ironically, a very unhappy Happy.

"Where have you been?" Happy demanded.

"Sorry detention," Peter muttered as he walked past Happy and entered the car, practically pushing himself up against the other side of the car. Happy blinked at him as he was usually met with an un-witty response.

"Well…okay then!" he said uncertainly.

The drive back was slow. Peter's head was practically pulsing. Happy was shooting him glances now and then and he knew something was wrong. He did note that Peter was holding his hand at an angle. Was he injured? He didn't even get a chance to ask for the minute that they arrived in the tower, Peter practically leapt out of the car and ran inside the building. Curse that super ability, Happy thought as he followed him, not even trying to keep up. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was simply because he couldn't.

* * *

Up in the main room, the group were currently sat around the sofa, debating…strength. Again. Clearly some people thought they were right, and others thought that they were wrong. In reality, everyone was practically arguing until one was declared the victor. Pepper was sitting with Tony and Bruce while the others were sitting on the opposite end.

"I am telling you, I am able to lift it with a few more modifications," Tony insisted. They were of course talking about Thor's mighty hammer, Mjolnir.

"And we told you that gadgets don't count," Natasha insisted.

"Well if that's true, then he's out," Tony said as he pointed to Bucky, who raised an eyebrow. He did get it. After all he had done, even though it was through someone else's actions, he knew he wasn't worthy.

"He could use his other hand," Clint offered.

"That won't make a difference," Bruce said. A thought then crossed Natasha's mind, and was just about to voice it until the sound of the elevator doors made them turn their heads.

"Hey Peter, how was…" Steve started but all they saw was a blur shoot past and then the slamming off a door. "School."

"What was that about?" Pepper asked as she shifted away from Tony to stand up. They all did at this point and turned their heads again when they saw Happy come through.

"What's the matter?" Tony asked instantly.

"I don't know. Apparently, the kid had detention which is why we were a little late," Happy answered.

"Detention? What the kid do; get full marks on a test?" Tony asked in bewilderment. It wasn't like Peter to get detention at all.

"He didn't say. But…" Happy said but then stopped as he looked away.

"But what?" Natasha demanded with folded arms. Happy didn't really want to speak since it wasn't his business, but the glaring eyes of the Avengers bore upon him.

"Well… he did look upset and he was clutching his hand. Like he was in pain. I thought maybe he had gotten in a fight but that's so unlike him. Then I thought he bunked off for spider stuff but if he was injured it would be more…you know…" Happy said with an awkward pause.

"No, he couldn't have been out anyway, his suit was destroyed in that fire. Whatever was left of it was brought here was for safety purposes," Steve said firmly. He himself had made sure that all traces of Spider-Man had vanished from that building.

"So, what could be the problem?" Tony wondered.

"Here's an idea, why don't you ask him?" Clint said, causing Tony to sweat slightly.

"I don't want to force him to answer," Tony replied.

"You won't. if he doesn't want to talk that's fine. Just let him know that we, or more importantly, _you_ are here for him," Pepper said as she stood up beside Tony and rubbed his arm.

"Well alright but I'm bringing a sandwich," Tony insisted as he went to grab the one he had plated for Peter.

* * *

Tony now stood outside of Peter's door with a plate in hand and with Pepper by his side. He hated how nervous he was. God, he had talked to Peter loads of times before and he hadn't been nervous. Pepper gave him an encouraging nudge and he cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"Hey Pete? You okay kiddo?" he asked. There was a short pause before a tired voice responded back to him.

"I'm fine Mr Stark. Just had a long day, I need a lie down," Peter responded.

"Okay then. You know I'm here if you want to chat or anything right?" Tony responded. There was another pause, only this time, Tony could have sworn he heard…retching?

"Of course, I uh…know that! Could I just…please be left alone for uh a bit? I'll eat later!" Peter said although it sounded a bit more…harsh this time. Tony masked his surprise at this but gave an affirming nod to himself. This was normal.

"Okay. It just here if you want it. Talk to you later," Tony said as he placed the plate down in front of the door.

"See you later Peter!" Pepper said cheerfully as she and Tony then headed back to the main room. Pepper turned her head back slightly and smiled when she saw that the door opened a creak and a hand snatched in the plate. Only it wasn't what she thought.

* * *

Peter hurriedly stuffed the sandwich in his mouth, not even bothering to savour the taste. He then threw himself into the bathroom and forced the new contents of his stomach up and down the toilet. He had no idea why he was doing this, but it made him feel less stressed. His throat felt like it was on fire, but it was worth it. It made him feel better.

 _That right do this. It's what you deserve._

"I know," Peter mumbled in between breaths.

 _"Peter, you seem to be in distress. Shall I alert Mr Stark?"_ Friday asked suddenly.

"No Friday I'm fine. No need to bother Mr Stark! Don't tell him anything!" Peter blurted. Damn, he had completely forgotten about Friday.

 _"I am unable to lie to Mr Stark,"_ Friday responded.

"It's not lying if he…doesn't ask!" Peter said suddenly.

 _"I see. Very well. I will inform Mr Stark if he asks why you are unwell,"_ Friday stated. Peter could have sworn that he heard a slight tone of concern in his voice but he brushed it off when she spoke no more.

"Thank you," Peter said quietly. Mr Stark would never find out. He wouldn't let him find out. His hands rubbed the injured one fondly; his enhanced healing already taking its toll. The side of his head still hurt. This would all pass.

Little was it known to Peter that the incident in the cafeteria had just been posted online.

* * *

 **Bullying is horrible isn't it. Nobody deserves to be bullied. So Peter is being bullied and doesn't want any help since he thinks he deserves to be alone. Will he talk to Tony soon?**

 **Here are some places to call if you need to speak to someone.**

 **Samaritans (UK): 116 123**

 **No Panic (UK): 0844 967 4848**

 **I am not sure what other numbers are available around the world since I am UK based and mainly UK numbers appear when I google them. You can always speak to a friend, family member or someone from work. There are Samaritan sites online if you need to search and they will provide you with a number or email address.**

 **Wishing you all well! Stay safe and stay home! Love you guys! Bye for now!**

 **\- Star**


End file.
